President Trump was forced to quickly board Air Force One because of "increased security measures" at Palm Beach International Airport, Fox News reported.
The Secret Service found a suspicious hunting platform Friday near the airport, just one day before Trump arrived for a weekend at Mar-A-Lago.
The hunting stand had a direct line of sight to where Trump's plane lands at the airport, FBI director Kash Patel said.
"Prior to the President’s return to West Palm Beach, USSS discovered what appeared to be an elevated hunting stand within sight line of the Air Force One landing zone," FBI director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital.
"No individuals were located at the scene. The FBI has since taken the investigatory lead, flying in resources to collect all evidence from the scene, and deploying our cell phone analytics capabilities."
The authorities shared a picture of the hunting stand, which was found in a tree during "advance security preparations" before Trump's arrival in Palm Beach.
“The U.S. Secret Service is working closely with the FBI and our law enforcement partners in Palm Beach County. During advance security preparations prior to the Palm Beach arrival, which included the use of technology and comprehensive physical sweeps, our teams identified items of interest near Palm Beach International Airport,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
As Trump departed Florida on Sunday, he boarded Air Force One using a small flight of stairs as a precaution, a White House official told Fox.
Secret Service came under intense scrutiny for security failures after Trump was bloodied by a sniper's bullet at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
A second attempt on Trump's life was thwarted weeks later by a Secret Service agent who noticed a rifle poking from the fenceline of Trump's West Palm Beach golf course.
The gunman in that attempt, Ryan Routh, was found guilty last month, and he faces life in prison.
While speaking with reporters on Air Force One on Sunday, Trump ripped Democratic Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones, who was recently caught wishing death on a Republican politician and his children. Democrats have defended Jones, who has refused to drop out.
"You mean the animal that wanted to kill somebody who should not be allowed to be running for that office?" Trump said when asked about Jones.
"He’s a third-rate intellect, he’s a guy who – I’ve never seen anybody say what he said, that he wanted to kill his opponent’s children – he wanted to kill his opponent," Trump said. "I can’t imagine anybody voting for Jay Jones. Look, you would think he’s totally discredited. I would think he wouldn’t even be allowed to do that; anybody would be put in prison for what he said."
