Man Arrested at Trump Golf Course Days Before Presidential Visit

A man who appeared to be "monitoring security-planning activities" at the Trump National Golf Course in the Los Angeles area was arrested days before a scheduled presidential visit, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday.

Jeanine John Taele, 38, of Downey, California, was arrested Sunday at the course in Rancho Palos Verdes, about 20 miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles.

Deputies were contacted by plainclothes federal agents about a suspicious person at 3:28 p.m. Sunday, the department said. "The individual was observed walking throughout the golf course grounds taking photographs and videos and appearing to monitor security-planning activities," the department said in a statement.

Deputies found a loaded magazine with hollow-point bullets in Taele's pants pocket and a loaded pistol in his vehicle in the club's parking lot, officials said. They also learned he was under investigation for a robbery in El Segundo, California.

He was arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed firearm and possession of armor-piercing or otherwise prohibited ammunition. A search of his home on Monday turned up an "illegally modified AR platform rifle," a .45-caliber pistol, body armor, high-capacity magazines and ammunition, the department said, along with "multiple notebooks containing concerning statements" and two "radio signal devices."

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bilal A. Essayli said Tuesday night that Taele has been charged in a federal criminal complaint with possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle, a felony that he said carries a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. Taele also faces charges of second-degree robbery in the 2025 case, possession of a large-capacity magazine, having a concealed firearm in a vehicle and possession of a short-barreled rifle, records show.

Jail records showed Taele in custody Tuesday. Online court records did not appear to list an attorney for him Tuesday evening.

The sheriff's department did not mention any direct threat to President Donald Trump, who arrived by Marine One at the resort at about 5:07 p.m. local time Tuesday for a fundraiser, according to pool reports. Trump told Fox News he took "a little solace" from the fact that such incidents appear to happen only to "consequential presidents," adding, "I am definitely consequential."

Secret Service agent Armando Marquez, who leads the Los Angeles field office, said Wednesday the case "is a strong example of the important work our agents do to keep the individuals we protect and our protected sites safe, starting well before each and every visit."

In 2024, Ryan Routh was arrested in an assassination attempt on Trump at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Routh was convicted in 2025 and sentenced to life in prison in February.