A heavily armed California man has been arrested at Donald Trump’s golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes, two days before the president was scheduled to host a major Republican fundraising event.
Jeanine John Taele, 38, was detained by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies after being spotted wandering the Trump National Golf Course, taking photographs, and appearing to monitor security preparations ahead of a Republican National Committee dinner. When deputies searched him, they found a 16-round magazine loaded with hollow-point ammunition in his pocket. A search of his car revealed a loaded pistol and additional ammunition.
The following day, investigators executed a search warrant at Taele’s home in nearby Downey. Inside the residence, they recovered an illegally modified AR-style rifle, body armor, multiple high-capacity magazines, extensive rounds of ammunition, and notebooks containing what officials described as “concerning statements”. Taele was also under investigation by El Segundo Police in connection with a separate robbery case.
He was charged with possession of a short-barreled rifle, receiving a large-capacity magazine, carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle, and second-degree robbery. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and was held on $250,000 bail. A judge also issued a protective order barring him from possessing firearms or approaching the golf course.
The arrest is part of a pattern of security incidents surrounding Trump since he returned to the presidency, including the July 2024 rally shooting in Pennsylvania, the September 2024 Florida golf course incident involving Ryan Wesley Routh, a February 2026 Mar-a-Lago perimeter breach, and an April 2026 security incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.