Armed man arrested at Trump's Los Angeles golf club two days before president's fundraiser
Jeanine John Taele, 38, was detained after plainclothes federal agents saw him photographing and appearing to monitor security preparations at the Rancho Palos Verdes club.
A 38-year-old California man was arrested Sunday at President Donald Trump's golf club in Rancho Palos Verdes, two days before the president arrived for a Republican National Committee fundraiser. The suspect, Jeanine John Taele of Downey, was spotted by plainclothes federal agents walking the grounds, taking photographs and video, and appearing to monitor security planning activities, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday.
The arrest
Agents stopped Taele on the golf course Sunday afternoon. During the arrest, deputies found a 16-round magazine loaded with hollow-point ammunition in his pants pocket. A search of his vehicle, parked at the golf course, turned up a loaded pistol with a round in the chamber and an additional magazine, also filled with hollow-point rounds. Taele was booked on charges of carrying a concealed firearm and possession of armor-piercing or prohibited ammunition.
Home search yields further weapons
Later, detectives from the sheriff's Major Crimes Bureau and the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force searched Taele's home in Downey, a suburb of Los Angeles. There they found an assault rifle, a pistol, a body armor vest, high-capacity magazines, bulk ammunition for handguns and rifles, two radio devices, and "multiple notebooks containing concerning statements." One article specified the firearms included an illegally modified AR-platform rifle and a.45-caliber 1911 pistol. The sheriff's office did not disclose the content of the notebooks.
Prior investigation and next steps
The suspect was already under investigation for robbery by the El Segundo Police Department at the time of his arrest, according to the sheriff's office. The investigation is being conducted jointly by the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The case was presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office on Tuesday morning, and a decision on formal charges remains pending. Authorities have not yet filed any charge related to an assassination plot.
Trump's visit proceeds
President Trump arrived by helicopter at Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles on Tuesday evening to attend a Republican National Committee fundraising dinner. The event went ahead as planned, and no disruption was reported during the president's visit.
A pattern of security incidents
Sunday's arrest is the latest in a series of security events involving Trump and his golf properties. In September 2024, Secret Service agents fired on an armed man hiding in bushes at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while Trump was playing a round. The suspect fled but was captured on a nearby highway; he was convicted of attempted assassination and sentenced to life in prison in February 2026. Earlier, in July 2024, a gunman shot Trump in the right ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, killing one attendee and wounding two others before being killed by security forces.
He was seen walking around the golf course grounds, taking pictures and videos and appearing to surveil the security planning activities.
