Donald Trump struck a defiant tone after authorities arrested a “heavily armed” man who had been seen moving around his California golf course just days before the former president was due to host a fundraiser at the property.
Jeanine John Taele, 38, was taken into custody Sunday by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies after he was allegedly spotted taking photographs and watching security operations near the course, the LA Times reported.
Asked about the potential threat, Trump said it underscored his significance as a president.
“The only thing I get a little solace from is they say only consequential presidents, and I am definitely consequential,” he told Fox News, referring to a hypothetical assassination attempt before turning to what he described as his accomplishments in office.
Trump made a similar remark after a gunman was apprehended at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
He is scheduled to headline a Republican National Committee fundraising dinner Tuesday at the Trump family-owned golf club in Rancho Palos Verdes, a coastal suburb of Los Angeles.
Deputies found a loaded magazine in Taele’s pants pocket, then searched his vehicle in the parking lot and discovered a loaded pistol along with additional ammunition.
A search of Taele’s home in Downey, California, on Monday turned up more weapons and ammunition, including an illegally modified AR-style rifle, a .45-caliber pistol, body armor and high-capacity magazines.
They also claimed to have found several notebooks that featured ‘concerning statements,’ as well as two radio devices.
Taele was arrested under suspicion of carrying a concealed firearm and possession of illegal ammunition, including hollow point bullets.
Donald Trump spoke out after a ‘heavily armed’ man was arrested after he was seen wandering around his California golf course just days before the President was set to host a fundraiser there
Jeanine John Taele (pictured), 38, was detained Sunday by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies shortly after he was seen taking pictures and observing security activities around the course
Trump is scheduled to headline a Republican National Committee fundraising dinner at a golf club his family owns in the Los Angeles suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes (pictured) on Tuesday
A law enforcement source told The New York Post that Teale – who claimed to be a Marine Corps veteran – had been seen several times around the golf course the past two months but that it wasn’t clear he was aware Trump was visiting.
Police said that while the investigation is ongoing, there is ‘no credible threat to our communities.’
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Taele is also under investigation in connection with a robbery in nearby El Segundo.
Trump is making a rare visit to California and Nevada this week to try to draw contrasts with Democrats on the economy, border security and crime, seeking to shore up support for Republicans in November elections that will determine whether his party keeps control of Congress.
Trump has faced multiple assassination attempts in recent years, most notably when he was shot at during a rally in Pennsylvania on the campaign trail in 2024.
A jury in 2025 found a man guilty of trying to assassinate Trump at the president´s Florida country club.
Most recently, an armed man tried to break into the White House Correspondents’ Dinner while Trump was inside.
As Trump flies to California, he´ll likely throw barbs at the governor, eyed as a likely candidate for the next Democratic presidential nomination.
The entrance to Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles, in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., is seen in this photo
Police said that while the investigation is ongoing, there is ‘no credible threat to our communities’
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White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said the president plans to ‘draw a sharp contrast between his commonsense agenda and the radical policies of Democrats like Gavin Newsom.’
Trump routinely mocks Newsom using a derogatory nickname. Newsom taunts the president in turn.
The Democrat wrote on social media on Monday that California is raising its minimum wage next year to $17.40 an hour, more than double the federal minimum.
‘Donald Trump and the GOP are still defending a $7.25 minimum wage while workers scrape by. Pitiful,’ Newsom wrote.
