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Judge blocks Trump from closing East Potomac Park golf course for now Trump asks Supreme Court to curb judges' power to void unlawful rules nationwide On tape: Richard Blumenthal says the Trump administration let $190 million in anti-human trafficking grants lapse On tape: Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican, on the House floor: the president never asked Congress before sending troops… Massie to force new House vote to end Trump's Iran war before he leaves in January Over 200 Democrats ask appeals court to strike down VA's abortion ban for veterans Kushner says U.S. is brokering Europe-Russia talks and planning next Ukraine round Blumenthal says Lutnick 'must go' over stalled Nvidia chip blacklist for Megaspeed NBC says Democrat Mary Peltola likely to beat Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska On tape: Hakeem Jeffries: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick could face Intel Committee subpoenas over Nvidia scandal Judge blocks Trump from closing East Potomac Park golf course for now Trump asks Supreme Court to curb judges' power to void unlawful rules nationwide On tape: Richard Blumenthal says the Trump administration let $190 million in anti-human trafficking grants lapse On tape: Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican, on the House floor: the president never asked Congress before sending troops… Massie to force new House vote to end Trump's Iran war before he leaves in January Over 200 Democrats ask appeals court to strike down VA's abortion ban for veterans Kushner says U.S. is brokering Europe-Russia talks and planning next Ukraine round Blumenthal says Lutnick 'must go' over stalled Nvidia chip blacklist for Megaspeed NBC says Democrat Mary Peltola likely to beat Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska On tape: Hakeem Jeffries: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick could face Intel Committee subpoenas over Nvidia scandal
Sean Curran
Photo: United States Secret Service, Public domain

The Administration · Justice, security and the military

Sean Curran

Secret Service Director

The agent who led Trump's protective detail and shielded him on stage during the 2024 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, now running the Secret Service after a career spent in the field, not at headquarters.

Biography

Sean Curran grew up in New Jersey, earned a political science degree from Stockton University and a master's from Seton Hall, and joined the Secret Service in September 2001 as a special agent in the Newark field office. 3 4 He was named the agency's special agent of the year in 2007 and served on the presidential protective division from 2008 to 2013, during Barack Obama's presidency. 1 4 He then worked in dignitary protection and in the Washington field office, and in 2018 became an assistant special agent in charge on the presidential detail. 4

In 2021 he became the agent in charge of former President Trump's detail, one of the youngest to hold such a post, and led it for four years. 2 3 He was on stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, when a gunman fired at Trump, and rushed to cover him. 2 Trump named him director on January 22, 2025, two days into the new term. The job needs no Senate vote. 2

The choice went against two bipartisan review panels, in 2015 and after Butler, that urged picking a director from outside the agency. 2 Curran had never worked at headquarters and was not a member of the senior executive service. 2 CBS News reported that some inside the agency doubted a field agent was the right choice. 3 In his first weeks he sought a bigger budget, placed a team of six lawyers alongside field operations and brought in a New Jersey lawyer as the first political appointee to serve as senior adviser. 3

His tenure has included a large recruiting drive at a time when other agencies were cutting staff. 5 In February 2026 the Secret Service killed an armed man who breached the perimeter of Mar-a-Lago. 7 On April 25, 2026 a gunman opened fire near a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents' Dinner; an officer was hit in his protective vest and the president was evacuated unharmed. 6 The agency's website still lists Curran as director. 4

In the job

The acts and events that have defined the post so far, oldest first.

  1. Named director by President Trump and took office the same day. 2 4

  2. Sought a larger appropriation from Congress, embedded six lawyers with field operations and appointed lawyer Richard Giuditta as senior adviser. 3

  3. The agency aired a recruiting advertisement during the Super Bowl that featured Curran, part of a hiring campaign that continued while other agencies were shedding staff. 5

  4. The Secret Service shot and killed an armed man who breached the perimeter of Mar-a-Lago; the FBI investigated. 7

  5. A gunman fired shots near the screening area of the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington. A Secret Service officer was struck in his vest and later released from hospital; the suspect was arrested and charged with attempting to assassinate the president. 6

Disputes, and their side

What critics, courts or investigators have said, and the answer given. An allegation is not a finding.

  1. Two bipartisan review panels had recommended choosing a director from outside the Secret Service; Trump chose a field agent with no headquarters experience. CBS News reported that some within the agency doubted he was the right person. 2 3

    Their side: No public response found.

  2. Curran opposed a goal set by former director Kimberly Cheatle to make the workforce 30 percent female by 2030. 3

    Their side: He argued the target could keep the agency from hiring the best-qualified candidates, CBS News reported. 3

  3. After the correspondents' dinner shooting, questions were raised about security at the hotel; CBS News noted that only the dinner areas had been secured. 6

    Their side: Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the gunman was a floor above the ballroom with hundreds of agents between him and the president, and that law enforcement did not fail. 6

Career

  1. Secret Service special agent, Newark field office; special agent of the year in 2007
  2. Presidential Protective Division
  3. Assistant to the special agent in charge, Dignitary Protective Division
  4. Washington field office
  5. Assistant special agent in charge, Presidential Protective Division
  6. Special agent in charge of Donald Trump's protective detail
  7. Director of the Secret Service

Our reporting

We have not yet published a story that names Sean Curran. When we do, it will appear here.

Sources for this file

  1. Wikipedia, Sean M. Curran, Nov. 11, 2026
  2. CBS News, Trump selects Sean Curran, agent who protected him during Butler shooting, to lead Secret Service, Jan. 22, 2025
  3. CBS News, Sean Curran, "the unknown" leading the Secret Service, Feb. 26, 2025
  4. U.S. Secret Service, Director Sean M. Curran, Nov. 13, 2026
  5. Government Executive, 'A few more heroes': Secret Service recruits more agents despite federal employee reduction, April 15, 2025
  6. CBS News, Suspect in White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting charged with assassination attempt, April 27, 2026
  7. PBS News (AP), Patel's appearance at U.S. men's hockey celebration renews scrutiny of FBI director's travels, Feb. 23, 2026

File checked Nov. 13, 2026. Something wrong or out of date? Tell the desk.