U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested he has been targeted by shooters due to his status as a "very consequential" leader, while voicing concerns for his safety multiple times during a speech on Monday.

The president made his audacious comments during a speech alongside the parents of victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants on Monday. He announced that 22nd February would be designated "Angel Family Day.", a day intended to honour U.S. citizens killed by undocumented immigrants, a key issue of his 2024 presidential campaign and second term in office.

Trump has been the target of several foiled assassination attempts, one of which he narrowly escaped after being shot at a 2024 rally in Pennsylvania.

"You read about all these crazy shooters, but they only go after consequential presidents. They don't go after non-consequential presidents, you know?", Trump said on Monday. "If you take a look-Abraham Lincoln, some big, some big one. John Kennedy, in a certain way, was very consequential. He represented something very important.

"I was told that-I saw that the other day-they say they only go after consequential. So maybe I want to be a little bit less consequential," he said.

Trump subsequently remarked, "I don't know how long I'll be around. Got a lot of people gunning for me, don't I?"

The address was held one day prior to the president's much-anticipated State of the Union speech, during which he will discuss his administration's initiatives to address immigration and unlawful border crossings, amongst other matters.

Those commemorated included Laken Riley, who was murdered by an undocumented immigrant, alongside 62 others killed and two survivors of similar attacks.

Riley, a 22 year old Georgia nursing student, was killed by Venezuelan national Jose Ibarra on 22 February 2024. Ibarra was found guilty of Riley's murder in January.

This follows the president's signing of the Laken Riley Act, which mandates that all non-citizens arrested and charged with certain offences be detained in federal custody without bail.

A White House official characterised Monday's vigil as a "solemn ceremony that reminds us all of why deportations of the worst of the worst must continue."

Amongst the White House officials attending the occasion were senior immigration authorities including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Homan, together with "angel family" members.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to The Post: "President Trump is proud to have delivered accountability for Angel Families by ushering in the most secure border in history, deporting the criminal illegal aliens let into our country by prior Administrations, and upholding the rule of law by strongly enforcing our immigration laws."

"The first bill President Trump signed into law was the Laken Riley Act to prevent these senseless tragedies from happening again and to keep innocent American citizens safe. The President and our nation will join Angel Families in honoring the memory of these amazing men and women."

The president also paid tribute to other high-profile victims, including Katie Abraham, Rachel Morin and Kayla Hamilton, alongside their grieving relatives at the occasion.

Katie Abraham, 20, lost her life in a drink-driving collision in Illinois caused by a Guatemalan man in 2025; Morin, 24, was killed whilst hiking in Maryland in 2023 by a Salvadoran man; and Hamilton, 19, was raped and murdered by a Salvadorian teenager in Maryland in 2022.