Authorities arrested a 38-year-old man on Sunday who was allegedly photographing and recording security operations at Trump National Golf Club in California, two days before President Donald Trump arrived for a fundraising event.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department identified the suspect as Jeanine John Taele. Deputies found him walking the grounds with a 16-round magazine loaded with ammunition in his pocket. A loaded pistol with a round chambered was recovered from his vehicle, according to the sheriff’s department.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said Taele was seen “taking photos and video of security-planning activities” ahead of the president’s visit to sell his economic agenda on the West Coast.
Taele faces four federal charges: three weapons counts, including possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle, and a separate robbery charge tied to a November 2025 incident. He pleaded not guilty to all four charges Tuesday.
Investigators searched Taele’s home Monday and recovered additional firearms, magazines, ammunition, body armor and notebooks containing what authorities described as “concerning statements.”
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said there is “no credible threat to our communities” at this time. Authorities have not determined whether Taele posed a direct threat to the president, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Trump attended fundraising events hosted by the Republican National Committee at the golf club in Los Angeles on Tuesday, two days after Taele’s arrest. The president is scheduled to be in Las Vegas Wednesday to promote his economic agenda, including tax cuts under the One Big Beautiful Act, ahead of November’s midterms.
The arrest is the latest in a string of security incidents surrounding Trump. In July 2024, a bullet grazed the president’s ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Months later, Ryan Routh was arrested after authorities say he poked the tip of a rifle through hedges at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. Most recently, a gunman attempted to target Trump during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April.
Routh was later sentenced to life in prison for the West Palm Beach incident.
The Justice Department confirmed the arrest and charges in a statement posted by Essayli on X. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California is prosecuting the case.
Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes sits along the California coastline south of Los Angeles. The president has visited the property multiple times for both business and political events since retaking office.
