A bullet grazed Donald Trump's ear in Butler, Pennsylvania – and Corey Comperatore died shielding his family.
Now someone wanted to do it again, this time with explosive drones and snipers – at the White House.
Trump knew, and what he said to Joe Rogan backstage will change how you see this man.
The Plan That Almost Changed Everything
Five men spread across four states – Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska, and California – spent weeks plotting a mass casualty event on the White House South Lawn.
This wasn't a lone lunatic with a grudge.
This was a coordinated operation with tiers of personnel, a ringleader calling himself "Shepherd," and a plan detailed enough to make federal prosecutors charge all five with conspiracy to commit murder.
According to federal charges, the conspirators planned to launch explosive-laden drones over the crowd to force an evacuation – then position snipers to pick off "high value targets" as thousands of people ran for their lives.
They had weapons seized from multiple residences – rifles, a shotgun, tactical gear, and a laser target pointer.
https://twitter.com/RedWavePress/status/2068441306574073962?s=20
They had safe houses – including a hidden bunker beneath a shed in rural Missouri.
One of them, 19-year-old Tycen Proper of Ohio, spent $3,000 of his graduation money on weapons and compiled a target list of 46 individuals.
Another, Daniel Eskridge, laid out the structure: "5 teams of 3 – one sniper, one tier one operator as lookout, and one drone operator" – with $1,300 earmarked for "drones and charges."
The group first connected through a TikTok community called "Vanguard of the Old."
Then they moved to Signal to finish the planning.
What Kash Patel's FBI Did Next
Someone's mother saved this country.
On June 10 – four days before UFC Freedom 250 – Tycen Proper's mother called local police.
She'd watched her son purchase guns, body armor, ammunition, and tactical gear.
She'd seen him communicating with strangers online.
She made the call.
FBI Director Kash Patel's team was on it within hours.
https://twitter.com/FoxNews_Flash/status/2069135915155701778?s=20
Over the next 96 hours, the FBI ran a multi-state operation that ended with five suspects in custody across four states – all before the first punch was thrown.
"Thanks to the rapid action of this FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold," Patel posted on X.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was direct: "We will take immediate and aggressive action to identify and prosecute those who incite and plan acts of violence."
Each of the five conspirators faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
This worked because Trump put the right people in place.
Kash Patel runs an FBI that moves fast, hits hard, and doesn't play politics.
Todd Blanche doesn't give press conferences about nuance – he makes arrests.
What Trump Said Backstage
Joe Rogan was nervous.
He told Justin Gaethje and MMA trainer Trevor Wittman he'd been uneasy the entire night – aware that the White House South Lawn was the highest-profile target in the country.
So he walked up to the president and said what was on his mind.
"I said to Trump, 'I hope we don't die in a terrorist attack.'"
Donald Trump didn't blink.
"We got to go somehow."
Rogan said he laughed – and didn't know what to do with it.
"I go, 'What the f—, dude?'"
https://twitter.com/DailyCaller/status/2069416854636859421?s=20
Gaethje had his own version of the same fatalism: "If I get taken out in the middle of the cage, how f—ing legendary would that be?"
Think about what that moment actually reveals.
Donald Trump knew there was a credible threat to his life at that event – and stood on that lawn anyway.
This is the same man who pumped his fist with blood on his face in Butler while Corey Comperatore lay dead a few feet away.
The left has spent nine years trying to break this man.
They've shot at him, indicted him, raided his home, and now five of their fellow travelers plotted to drone-bomb a UFC event on the White House lawn.
He responded with a one-liner.
That's exactly why they can't stop him.
Sources:
- CJ Womack, "Joe Rogan Reveals Trump's Surprising Backstage Remark About Possible Attack on UFC Event," Fox News, June 22, 2026.
- U.S. Department of Justice, "Five Men Arrested and Charged in Plot to Attack and Kill Government Officials and Others Attending the Ultimate Fighting Championship at White House," Justice.gov, June 16, 2026.
- "UFC White House Attack Suspects Allegedly Met Through TikTok Group Chat," Fox News, June 17, 2026.
- "Smiling Suspect Stands Out as Authorities Release Mugshots of 5 Accused in Alleged White House UFC Attack Plot," Fox News, June 17, 2026.
