Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump

Background

At the time, Donald Trump was listed as sitting president. The record is categorized as attempted assassination with a medium confidence level.

Event details

The reported method was attempted vehicle/forklift attack. Failed; assailant was arrested.

Aftermath

Leingang stole a construction forklift in Mandan, North Dakota, and drove it toward the security perimeter of a Trump rally at the Dakota Access Pipeline facility; he was stopped and arrested by law enforcement before he could breach the fence or approach the venue. Trump was inside and was not in danger; the event proceeded without the crowd being made aware of the security incident. Leingang was charged with reckless endangerment and theft of a motor vehicle under North Dakota state law and received a state sentence. The incident attracted limited national media coverage. It was one of numerous security events at Trump's rallies during his presidency that underscored the logistical challenges of securing large public venues.

Historical significance

The Leingang forklift incident is a relatively minor episode in the broader record but illustrates the persistent challenge of securing large industrial and infrastructure-site presidential events where construction equipment and vehicles pose inherent threats. The incident attracted little national attention and had no lasting policy impact, but it is cited in security reviews as an example of the improvised-vehicle threat category in a non-urban, non-traditional setting. Its place in the record also reflects the unusually high number of security incidents connected to the Trump presidency across its first term—a pattern that culminated in the far more serious 2024 events.

Sources

• List of United States presidential assassination attempts and plots — Wikipedia contributors