There have been upsetting reports recently, including from President Donald Trump himself, that Iran has been plotting to assassinate the commander in chief.
It’s not the first threat Trump has faced since entering public office, but it could be the most severe, considering the regime’s far-reaching influence.
But while the president has resigned himself to the possibility that Iran could achieve its goal by killing him, he’s prepared some instructions for those around him in case of that outcome.
As The Hill reported:
“I’ve been on their list for a long time. That’s what we’re dealing with,” he told the New York Post. “The only thing is, I’ve left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before.”
The interview comes a day after The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel recently shared intelligence with the U.S. indicating a new plot from Iran to assassinate Trump.
But CNN, citing U.S. officials, reported that the new Israeli intelligence could have been an attempt to influence Trump’s stance as he weighs whether to escalate military action against Iran. Israel has pushed for increased military intervention in the Middle East while Trump has opted for continuing negotiations, though on Friday he announced a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran was “over.”
Trump disputed there was a fresh plot against him but said Iran has wanted him dead for years.
The news prompted plenty of social media chatter, including from more than a few commenters who worried the threat could backfire:
By announcing that, trump an knowingly just put a bounty over his own Head
— Mayaka Douglas🇷🇺 (@DougMayaka) July 10, 2026
PRAY FOR OUR PRESIDENT!!! 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
— DEPLORABLE ULTRA MAGA Susan (@susanbnj) July 10, 2026
Don't tempt Netanyahu with a good time
— Shivam (@shivam_in) July 10, 2026
Here’s what the president said earlier this week about the threats against him, per USA Today:
President Donald Trump said Iran is targeting him for assassination as peace negotiations falter, telling reporters “I’m number one on the kill list for Iran.”
The president also appeared to threaten Iran’s new regime, suggesting they could suffer the same fate as previous leaders.
“They had leaders, they’re gone,” Trump said July 8 during a news conference at the NATO summit in Turkey. “And they had another set of leaders, they’re gone. Now they have another set of leaders, they may be gone. Who knows?”
“And you know what? I may be gone too,” Trump added. “Because I’m their number one target.” The president did not provide any details about Iran’s alleged plot to kill him.
And here’s a clip of those remarks:
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