The Secret Service says threats against full-time protectees jumped just over 40% in a year, with about 10,000 cases since January, signaling a risk environment that is growing faster than the government’s ability to explain it.
Story Highlights
- Secret Service reports a year-over-year rise in threats of just over 40%.
- About 10,000 threat or threat-related cases logged since January.
- Director links growth to the internet, social media, and mental health strains.
- Agency workload metrics surged, but not all cases are violent threats.
What The Secret Service Says Is Rising
On October 11, 2026, Secret Service Director Sean Curran told 60 Minutes that threats against full-time protectees are up just over 40% compared with last year. He said the agency has handled about 10,000 threats or threat-related cases since January. Those figures match written testimony that shows sharp growth in protective activity across recent years. The direction is clear: the workload is rising fast. The exact mix of violent threats versus other cases is not fully detailed in public data.
The agency’s fiscal year 2027 budget materials back up the surge. Protective visits climbed from 5,242 in fiscal year 2023 to 7,175 in fiscal year 2025, an increase of about 37 percent. The Office of Strategic Intelligence and Information managed more than 12,300 protective-intelligence investigations in fiscal year 2025, nearly 60 percent above the prior year. These administrative measures suggest a broader rise in work tied to public safety around national leaders, not a one-off spike.
Why Officials Cite The Internet And Mental Health
Director Curran linked the increase to life online. He said people and information are more accessible and that “social media changes people”. The same record points to mental health as a major driver. Curran said mental health issues are “for sure” among the biggest factors. The budget testimony echoes that social platforms make threats more prevalent, which pushes more tips and cases into the system. These points describe causes, but they are not presented as formal causal proof.
Real-world incidents also shape this picture. The 60 Minutes report highlighted three attempts or breaches involving President Trump over roughly two and a half years: the Butler, Pennsylvania rally shooting, the Florida golf course incident, and a White House Correspondents’ Dinner breach. These examples illustrate why the Secret Service treats a wide funnel of leads as necessary. One missed lead can cost lives. That reality drives the agency’s bias toward early detection and aggressive follow-up.
What The Numbers Do And Do Not Prove
The 40 percent rise is striking, but it refers to threats or threat-related cases, not just confirmed violent plots. The agency’s work includes investigations that start with warning signs like fixation, harassment, delusions, or suicidal behavior, even if no direct threat was made. As a result, higher case counts can reflect more tips, better monitoring, or more reporting, alongside any real rise in intent to harm. The public data does not separate these shares.
Past comments show why measurement matters. In 2017, a different director said the agency saw about six to eight threats per day against presidents over the prior decade, suggesting a long period of relative stability then. Today’s reported surge could reflect true growth, changed definitions, or both. Without a full, consistent time series that splits violent threats from other leads, the public cannot judge how much of the jump signals greater danger versus greater detection.
Why This Matters Across The Political Spectrum
Americans on the right and left worry that institutions hide the ball and still fail to keep leaders, courts, and communities safe. The Secret Service’s numbers mirror a broader rise in threats against judges and lawmakers reported by other agencies, which makes a genuine increase plausible. At the same time, the Service’s budget asks and operational secrecy create a trust gap. The agency needs resources, but the public needs clarity about what is actually increasing.
🇺🇸 Secret Service Director Sean Curran says threats against Trump have escalated, citing funeral footage showing massive banners calling for his death.
Asked if the threat level had increased, he replied: “Absolutely.”
Security measures? Classified. https://t.co/0AMSFrJyvf
— Purser (@Purseri6tx) October 12, 2026
Transparency can help. Officials could publish monthly counts by category: credible violent threats, nonviolent threats, stalking, mental-health interventions, and online referrals. They could also provide anonymized outcomes, like arrests or treatment referrals. Congress could request the spreadsheets behind the 40 percent and 10,000-case figures for independent review. These steps would not expose tactics. They would show citizens what the government measures, and whether it works, without spin.
Sources:
mediaite.com, secretservice.gov, ijr.com, abcnews.com, cbsnews.com
