President Donald Trump said Sunday that he struck Iran's leadership before Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could succeed in another attempt on his life.
"I got him before he got me. They tried twice. Well, I got him first," Trump said in an interview with ABC News.
The president's remarks come amid escalating U.S. military action against Iran and renewed scrutiny of Tehran's alleged efforts to target him during the 2024 campaign.
In 2024, U.S. prosecutors charged several individuals in connection with alleged Iran-linked assassination plots against then-presidential candidate Trump.
According to the Justice Department, operatives tied to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sought to recruit individuals in the United States to carry out attacks, allegedly in retaliation for the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
In one case, federal authorities said a suspect attempted to hire hit men who were undercover FBI agents as part of a sting operation.
Prosecutors described the effort as part of a broader Iranian campaign to target current and former U.S. officials. Iran has denied involvement in the alleged plots.
Trump suggested Sunday that the recent U.S. military operation dramatically reshaped Iran's leadership structure.
He also told ABC News that potential successors to Iran's ruling regime had been identified before the strikes but were killed in the opening assault.
"The attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates," Trump said. "It's not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because they are all dead. Second or third place is dead."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.