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On Sunday, FBI Director Kash Patel revealed that the Secret Service uncovered a hunting stand positioned to overlook President Donald Trump as he disembarks from Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida.
“USSS spotted a suspicious stand near the AF1 zone in Palm Beach,” Patel wrote in a post on X, which included a screenshot of a Fox News article. “The FBI is investigating.”
In a statement to Fox News, Patel mentioned that the Secret Service “identified what seemed to be an elevated hunting stand” offering a vantage point of the President leaving Air Force One. He further noted that “no individuals were found at the location.”
“Before the President’s arrival in West Palm Beach, the USSS detected what seemed to be an elevated hunting stand within the sight line of where Air Force One lands,” Patel stated, adding that the FBI has now assumed the primary role in investigating the matter.
Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi detailed to the media that the discovery was made during “advance security preparations” for Trump’s visit to Palm Beach.
“While we cannot disclose specific details about the items or their potential purpose, this situation highlights the critical nature of our comprehensive security protocols,” Guglielmi remarked.
“While we are not able to provide details about the specific items or their intent, this incident underscores the importance of our layered security measures,” Guglielmi told the outlet.
The Secret Service’s discovery of the hunting stand with a view of Trump comes as the President has previously faced two assassination attempts.
During Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from the rooftop of a nearby building with a direct line of sight. Trump later revealed that he had been “shot with a bullet that pierced” his upper right ear.
Months later, on September 15, 2024, Ryan Wesley Routh — who was found guilty last month of attempting to assassinate Trump — was apprehended after a Secret Service agent saw the barrel of Routh’s AK-style rifle “sticking out of the bushes” where he had been hiding near Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach.
