AN armed man was arrested at US President Donald Trump’s golf course in Los Angeles two days before the president’s expected visit, according to the local sheriff’s office.
The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Jeanine John Taele of nearby Downey, California, was detained on the afternoon of Aug 2 at the golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes.
AFP reported Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office saying plainclothes federal agents spotted Taele "walking throughout the golf course grounds taking photographs and videos and appearing to monitor security-planning activities".
Trump arrived by helicopter at the golf club on Aug 4 to attend a fundraising dinner hosted by the Republican National Committee.
During the arrest, deputies recovered a 16-round magazine containing hollow-point ammunition from the suspect’s trouser pocket, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.
A subsequent search of his vehicle uncovered a loaded pistol with a round chambered, along with an additional loaded magazine containing hollow-point ammunition.
Investigators from the sheriff’s department and the FBI’s counterterrorism unit later searched Taele’s home, where they found an assault-style rifle, a pistol, a bulletproof vest, high-capacity magazines, ammunition, two radios and "multiple notebooks containing concerning statements".
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office will determine whether charges will be filed after investigators presented the case on the morning of Aug 4.
Trump has faced multiple assassination attempts and security threats since launching his 2024 presidential campaign. - August 5, 2026
