Donald Trump reveals dead-man's switch in case of Iran assassination
"I've left instructions—if they do it, they get obliterated. There won't be anything left," the president told the press during an Oval Office event.
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he has left orders for Iran to face total destruction if it attempts to assassinate him, as federal authorities continue to track threats from Tehran.
"If they did that, they would be obliterated," Trump told reporters while signing an executive order aimed at intensifying U.S. sanctions on Iran. "I've left instructions—if they do it, they get obliterated. There won't be anything left."
Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on February 4, 2025, in Washington. Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on February 4, 2025, in Washington. Evan Vucci/AP PhotoWhy It Matters
Trump's remarks come amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran, as federal officials continue to monitor threats against him and former members of his first administration.
Iranian officials have long vowed retaliation for Trump's 2020 decision to authorize a drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force. In recent years, U.S. intelligence agencies have reported multiple Iranian plots targeting Trump and other former top officials.
Trump was wounded in a July assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. U.S. officials later confirmed that intelligence agencies had been tracking threats from Iran ahead of the event, though they stated at the time that there was no evidence Iran was involved in the shooting.
What to Know
A dead man's switch is a safety mechanism designed to activate or deactivate a system if the user becomes incapacitated or fails to maintain control. They can also be used to activate harmful devices, like bombs.
What Trump is suggesting is similar to the U.K.'s letters of last resort—secret instructions written by the prime minister to the commanding officers of the Royal Navy's Vanguard-class submarines, which carry the country's Trident nuclear weapons. These letters contain the final orders on what the submarine commanders should do if the U.K. has been devastated by a nuclear attack and the government is no longer functioning. After a new prime minister is elected, the old leader's letters are destroyed, unread.
Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Trump issued the warning to Iran during the signing of an executive order reinstating the "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran. This strategy aims to halt Iran's nuclear ambitions by reducing its oil exports to zero. The order directs the U.S. Treasury and State Department to implement stringent economic sanctions and enforcement mechanisms targeting entities that violate existing sanctions.
Trump emphasized his firm stance against Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, stating: "With me, it's very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon." He also expressed openness to dialogue, noting a willingness to engage in discussions with Iranian leadership.
Trump recently rescinded government security protection for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former national security adviser John Bolton, and former Iran envoy Brian Hook—all of whom have faced Iranian threats due to their hardline stance against Tehran.
The U.S. Department of Justice revealed in November that it had disrupted an Iranian plot to kill Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Prosecutors accused Farhad Shakeri, a 51-year-old Iranian national, of working with Iranian officials to surveil and ultimately assassinate Trump. Shakeri remains at large in Iran.
According to a criminal complaint unsealed in federal court in Manhattan, Shakeri—who authorities say has ties to Tehran's criminal underworld—was ordered by a contact within Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in September to prepare an assassination plan against Trump within a week.
Iranian officials have dismissed the Justice Department's allegations, calling them an attempt to inflame tensions between Washington and Tehran.
What People Are Saying
Reaction to Trump's announcement was mixed on social media.
David Polansky, an X user, said: "Of all the wild things associated with Trump in the past 48 hours, him casually mentioning that he arranged a dead man's switch might be the funniest."
Prominent conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, meanwhile, issued a warning to Trump: "By putting out if Iran kills him [...] that is a perfect set up for the deep state to kill President Trump [...] and say the Iranians did it."
There is no evidence of a deep state plot to kill the president.
What Happens Next
If Trump were assassinated, Vice President JD Vance would be sworn in as president, but he would not be obligated to carry out any instructions left by his predecessor.
This story includes reporting by the Associated Press
