Fact check: Barack Obama faced at least 11 documented assassination attempts and serious plots during his presidency.

Verdict: mostly true — Trust Score 85/100

The post is mostly true, accurately listing historical threats against Obama and Biden while correctly referencing the April 25, 2026, assassination attempt on President Trump and the subsequent $400 million ballroom proposal. The claims reported by the Department of Justice, The Washington Post, and the Associated Press. However, it misleadingly suggests Julia Pierson resigned directly over the 2011 shooting, when she actually resigned in 2014 following a series of later security failures.

mostly true verification card — Trust Score 85/100
Platform
instagram
Source author
thingsyoudontknow1 — see all fact-checks of this account
Original post
https://www.instagram.com/p/DXxE2YWiNaT/?igsh=MWNtNGFua3JyZjUzbA==
Verified on
May 4, 2026
Verification ID
1l9AF95n2YPtwaNr0e2WhA

Original content reviewed

Platform: INSTAGRAM Author: @thingsyoudontknow1 --- Caption/Description --- 11 documented assassination attempts on Barack Obama. Most Americans don't remember any of them. Barack Obama faced at least 11 documented assassination attempts and serious plots during his presidency, according to compiled lists from Wikipedia, The List, and other media reviews. The most serious confirmed shooting incident took place on November 11, 2011, when Oscar Ortega-Hernandez fired multiple rounds from a semi-automatic rifle at the White House from Constitution Avenue. At least seven bullets hit the second-floor residence. Sasha Obama and her grandmother, Marian Shields Robinson, were inside at the time. President Obama and the First Lady were in Australia. The Secret Service did not realize bullets had struck the White House until four days later. Director Julia Pierson eventually resigned over the lapse. Ortega-Hernandez believed Obama was the Antichrist. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Other documented threats included a 2008 white-supremacist plot in Tennessee, a 2009 stabbing plot in Istanbul by a Syrian man with fake press credentials, and a far-right FEAR militia plot. Joe Biden has also been targeted. An Iran-backed plot was disrupted by U.S. authorities, a man rammed a U-Haul truck near the White House in May 2023 stating he wanted to harm the president, and a Utah man, Craig Robertson, was shot dead in August 2023 when the FBI tried to arrest him for repeated armed threats against Biden. The contrast in public response is now being raised online following the April 25, 2026 attempted assassination at the White House Correspondents' Dinner and the administration's announcement that the new $400 million White House ballroom is "critical for national security." Critics argue past presidents handled similar incidents quietly. Defenders of the current administration argue that the threat environment has changed and that visible security investments serve as deterre

Claims analyzed (6)

  1. verified: Barack Obama faced at least 11 documented assassination attempts and serious plots during his presidency.
    Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and media reviews, document at least 11 distinct plots or serious threats against Obama, including the 2008 Denver plot, the 2008 Tennessee plot, and the 2011 White House shooting.
  2. verified: Oscar Ortega-Hernandez fired multiple rounds at the White House on November 11, 2011, hitting the second-floor residence while Sasha Obama was inside.
    Court records and news reports confirm Ortega-Hernandez fired at least 7-8 rounds at the White House on Nov 11, 2011. Sasha Obama and Marian Robinson were inside; the President and First Lady were away.
  3. misleading: Director Julia Pierson eventually resigned over the 2011 White House shooting lapse.
    Julia Pierson resigned in October 2014 following a series of security lapses, including a fence jumper and an armed contractor in an elevator. While the 2011 shooting was a major focus of the congressional inquiry that led to her resignation, she was not the director in 2011 (Mark Sullivan was).
  4. verified: Joe Biden has been targeted by an Iran-backed plot, a U-Haul ramming in May 2023, and a man named Craig Robertson in August 2023.
    Official DOJ and FBI records confirm the May 2023 U-Haul incident (Sai Varshith Kandula) and the August 2023 shooting of Craig Robertson during an arrest for threats against Biden.
  5. verified: An attempted assassination occurred at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 25, 2026.
    Current news reports from April 2026 confirm that Cole Tomas Allen was arrested and charged with the attempted assassination of President Trump at the Washington Hilton during the WHCD.
  6. verified: The administration announced a new $400 million White House ballroom is 'critical for national security.'
    Following the 2026 WHCD shooting, the Trump administration and congressional allies (Sen. Lindsey Graham) proposed a $400M 'East Wing Modernization Project' including a ballroom, citing national security as the primary justification.

Sources consulted (8)

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