Trump Tells Reporter Iran Will Pay Dearly if He is Assassinated: ‘I’ve Left Instructions’

President Donald Trump told a reporter that he has “left instructions” to be carried out if Iran succeeds in assassinating him.

Several people were carrying signs in Mashhad, Iran, ahead of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s burial, calling for the president’s death, including one large one that read, “We will kill Trump.”

Hoda, a 35-year-old housewife, told AFP news agency. “Only the death of Trump and [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu will soothe our pain.”

The U.S. and Israel conducted joint strikes against Iran in February, killing Khamenei and several in Iran’s top leadership.

They haven’t learned the lesson.
Trump will finish the job. https://t.co/ZtHxGDzdvF

— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) July 9, 2026

Iran has openly sought Trump’s assassination since 2020, when he directed the attack that killed Iranian military officer Qasem Soleimani, the New York Post reported on Friday.

“I’ve been on their list for a long time. That’s what we’re dealing with,” Trump told the news outlet. “… The only thing is, I’ve left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before.”

Asked about recent reports that Israel passed along intelligence regarding a new plot to take him out, Trump responded that there is no new plan.

“No, no. Israel came up with nothing. No, no,” he said. “I’ve been No. 1 [on Iran’s kill list] for a long time, and it’s the way life is, you know.”

“I hope you’ll miss me,” Trump added, in a comment directed at Tehran.

While in Ankara, Turkey, for a NATO summit, the president told reporters, “I’m number one on the kill list for Iran. They’re lovely people. I’m number one.”

During the NATO summit in Ankara, Donald Trump suggested he was ‘number one’ on Iran’s kill list.

“I’m their number one target because they are scum”, said the U.S. president during a speech. pic.twitter.com/6eHXGYk4Us

— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 8, 2026

“I don’t really care, because I’m doing my job. And I’m doing it, I hope, better than anyone’s ever done it,” he added.

Speculation rose after the White House announced that Trump would be departing from Turkey on the old Air Force One Wednesday, rather than the newly refurbished and gifted plane from Qatar on which he flew in.

Experts told The Hill that the new aircraft may not have all the anti-missile defense countermeasures the older plane has.

The outlet reported, “On the flight out of Turkey, reporters on the plane were told to keep their window blinds closed but weren’t told why. When they asked Trump, he said it was probably due to the ‘sleazebags over here,’ referring to Iran’s leadership. Iran and Turkey share a border.”

“Were you aware of any credible threat by Iran against Air Force One?” a reporter asked Wednesday during the flight out of Turkey.

“Were you aware of any credible threat by Iran against Air Force One?”@POTUS: “I have a threat all the time. I’m number one on their list, before you — but if I go, you go, right? So perhaps some of you want to change professions.” 🤣 pic.twitter.com/5VlZBBySwx

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 9, 2026

“I have a threat all the time,” Trump told the reporters aboard the flight. “I’m number one on their list, before you — but if I go, you go, right? So perhaps some of you want to change professions.”

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