Former President Donald Trump has accused incumbent President Joe Biden of wanting armed agents to shoot him during a 2022 search of his Mar-a-Lago estate for classified files. This marks the first time in modern U.S. history that a former president has accused his successor of attempting to kill him.
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump claimed that President Biden was “locked & loaded ready to take me out” during the summer 2022 search. Trump alleged that he had seen reports indicating that Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) authorized the FBI to use lethal force.
“He thinks he can frighten me, intimidate me, and KNOCK ME DOWN!” Trump wrote, suggesting that the authorities were eager to do the "unthinkable."
Trump appeared to be referencing newly unsealed court filings related to the documents uncovered at Mar-a-Lago after his presidency ended. The filings included standard FBI language allowing agents to use deadly force if someone is in imminent danger.
During the search, federal agents discovered over 100 classified records. Trump was not present at Mar-a-Lago at the time of the search.
According to The Washington Post, Trump’s claims represent a significant distortion of the FBI’s standard policy on the use of deadly force during search operations. The FBI issued a rare statement on Tuesday night, emphasizing that it had “followed standard protocol in this search as we do for all search warrants, which includes a standard policy statement limiting the use of deadly force.”
The bureau clarified that “no one ordered additional steps to be taken and there was no departure from the norm in this matter.”
Trump's allegations have drawn criticism from several quarters. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer described Trump's remarks as "outlandish and dangerous." David Axelrod, a former White House aide under President Barack Obama, called the claims "patently nuts...and dangerously provocative."
The exchange comes as President Biden and Trump gear up for a face-off in the upcoming presidential election in November.
