Armed man arrested near Trump’s California golf course

A man carrying a loaded handgun and illegal ammunition has been arrested near Donald Trump‘s golf course in California. The local sheriff’s office said he appeared to be monitoring security preparations ahead of the US president’s visit.

The 38-year-old suspect, identified as Jeanine John Taele, was detained on Sunday at Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes outside Los Angeles.

Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said he had been walking around the property, taking photographs and videos and apparently observing security arrangements before Trump’s Republican National Committee fundraiser. Taele was later arrested for carrying a concealed firearm and for possessing prohibited armour-piercing ammunition, Axios reported.

A search of his vehicle uncovered a loaded pistol, and investigators later found more firearms, ammunition, body armour, and notebooks at his home. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the US Secret Service have joined the investigation, although officials said they have not identified a credible threat to either the public or the president.

Golf course as a Republican venue

Earlier on Tuesday, Trump arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on board Air Force One. Later on Wednesday, he will speak at the Republican National Committee fundraising dinner, with his family’s Rancho Palos Verdes golf club being the venue.

Any security incident involving Trump attracts heightened attention following a string of threats and attacks recently. The former president survived an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in 2024 and was the target of another alleged plot at one of his Florida golf courses later that year.

Authorities have not linked the latest arrest to a planned attack, and prosecutors are still reviewing potential charges.