Man posing as security held with weapons before Trump's California golf visit

Losangeles,UPDATED: Aug 6, 2026 02:54 IST

A California man arrested at US President Donald Trump's golf course near Los Angeles had allegedly posed as part of the security team ahead of Trump's visit and was later found with illegal weapons in his car and home, authorities said. Jeanine John Taele, 38, was arrested on Sunday at Trump Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, two days before Trump attended a fundraising dinner there.

Taele was due to appear in court on Wednesday on a federal weapons charge, but the hearing was cancelled. According to booking records, he is being held at a downtown Los Angeles jail on state charges and is not yet in federal custody, a spokesperson for the US attorney's office said.

According to a federal criminal complaint, Taele was first seen on the golf course property on Friday. He was wearing an earpiece, walking around the course and taking photos and videos of federal agents as they carried out a security assessment. He left the property but returned on Sunday, when he approached federal agents and claimed he worked for the State Department and was there for a security detail. Federal officials said Taele also told them he had a loaded weapon in his vehicle, after which he was arrested. Authorities said a 16-round magazine with ammunition was also found in his pocket.

Taele has already appeared in court on state weapons charges and a second-degree robbery charge linked to an unrelated incident. Federal authorities have charged him with possession of an unregistered short-barrelled rifle allegedly found at his home. The complaint says the weapon was an illegally modified AR-style rifle with its barrel cut down to 10 inches from 14 inches. Prosecutors said a search of his pickup truck in the club parking lot found a loaded 9mm pistol, binoculars and a badge reading "security protection agent".

Authorities searched Taele's home in Downey on Monday and said they found a rifle and other firearms, magazines and ammunition, body armour and notebooks containing what they described as "concerning statements". No further details about those statements were released. "Mr Taele's troubling behaviour at the President's public golf course merely days before the President was expected to arrive raised serious red flags for law enforcement," Patrick Grandy, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles office, said. "There is no room for error, particularly in light of previous attempts on President Trump's life."

In remarks to Fox News on Tuesday, Trump said "only consequential presidents" are targeted, adding, "and I am definitely consequential", which he said gave him "a little solace". The AP report said Taele served in the US Marines as a corporal and was deployed to Iraq in 2008 and Afghanistan in 2010. He worked as a warehouse clerk and received several commendations, including an award for good conduct, during his service from 2008 to 2016.

State records show Taele is a licensed security guard, with his latest licence issued in February this year and valid until 2028. The records also show several cancelled or suspended permits allowing him to carry a firearm as a security guard, though state officials did not immediately provide more details. The Los Angeles County public defender's office, which is representing him in the state case, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and family members could not immediately be reached. The case centres on Taele's actions at Trump's golf course, the weapons recovered from his vehicle and home, and the state and federal charges he now faces.

With PTI Inputs

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