Global
The 2024 assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump revealed a fundamental shift in the Secret Service's assessment of civilian drones. Previously, these were not considered a direct threat to high-ranking officials until one was used in planning the operation. A US government audit indicated the Secret Service handled drone incidents since at least 2015. These included a drone near President Barack Obama's motorcade in Hawaii, another flying roughly 60 meters above a 2016 Bernie Sanders rally, and multiple quadcopters observed during President Joe Biden's January 2021 inauguration. Despite these prior events, security regulations protecting senior officials were modified only after Trump's 2024 assassination attempt. The audit also noted overall deficiencies: 8 of 22 regulations were overdue for their required four-year review. Critically, one for the US Vice President's international travel security hadn't been updated since July 2001. Donald Trump's assassination attempt occurred on July 13, 2024, at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The attack wounded Trump in the ear, killed one participant, and injured two others. Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, fired from a building rooftop outside the rally zone and was killed on-site. Crooks used a drone to plan the operation, launching it unhindered hours before the rally to scout the target area.
