April 30, 2026, 6:39 p.m. ET
Amid renewed scrutiny of his personal security, President Donald Trump said he has resisted the idea of wearing a bulletproof vest, not for safety reasons, but because of how it might make him look.
Asked during an Oval Office news conference on April 30 whether he had considered wearing protective body armor, Trump said the issue was largely aesthetic.
“I don’t know if I can handle looking 20 pounds heavier,” Trump told reporters.
The discussion resurfaced after a shooting inside the Hilton hotel during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on April 25. Prosecutors said in an April 29 court filing that Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, fired a shotgun in the direction of the stairs leading to the ballroom area before he was apprehended.
On Sunday, April 26, Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy said the vest was among several “major security improvements” considered after the latest incident involving Trump’s safety.
Trump’s assassination attempts and scares
Trump has faced multiple assassination attempts, threats, or major security scares dating back to his first presidential campaign in 2016.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, authorities investigated two incidents involving his safety, including one while he was golfing at his club in West Palm Beach, Florida, and another during the attempted assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Several earlier security incidents occurred during Trump’s 2016 campaign, including one in Nevada and Ohio in which law enforcement intervened after armed or disruptive individuals approached campaign events, according to authorities at the time.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
