Trump Targeted Again? Federal Agents Find Hunting Stand with Direct View of Air Force One
West Palm Beach, Fla. — A heavily-armed guard circle might still not have spotted this one: late last week, during a routine advance sweep ahead of Donald Trump’s arrival at Palm Beach International Airport (near his Mar‑a‑Lago estate), agents from the United States Secret Service discovered what appears to be an elevated hunting stand in a tree with a direct line-of-sight to the area where the presidential aircraft touched down and where the president customarily disembarks. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has since taken the lead on the investigation. UPI+2The Independent+2
Evidence and security details
The stand was located near a stretch of trees adjacent to Southern Boulevard in Palm Beach County, across from part of the airport property where private jets park — recently used by Air Force One due to construction. officer.com+1
According to FBI Director Kash Patel, the Secret Service discovered the structure “prior to the President’s return to West Palm Beach” and described it as “an elevated hunting stand within sight line of the Air Force One landing zone.” He emphasized that “no individuals were located at the scene.” www.ndtv.com+1
The Secret Service, via spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi, confirmed the team was conducting “technology and comprehensive physical sweeps” in advance, found “items of interest,” and that the discovery “did not impact any movements” of the aircraft or presidential escort. WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm+1
A forensic arborist told local media that by examining broken branches, damaged bark, and cut twigs in the tree, investigators could likely determine when the stand was installed. WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm
The FBI reportedly deployed cell-phone analytics and other digital investigative tools to trace the stand’s installation and usage history. The Tribune
Why the concern is legitimate
This isn’t a run-of-the-mill tree fort. Here’s why the discovery has raised serious alarms:
Direct vision of Air Force One’s exit path — Elevated platforms overlooking the disembarkation area are classic sniper positions; the stand’s sightline aligns with where the president deplanes and boards motorcade vehicles.
Previous attempts against Trump — In July 2024, at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a shooter opened fire at Trump; the bullet grazed his ear. www.ndtv.com+1 In September 2024, a man named Ryan Routh was arrested for aiming a rifle at Trump during a golf-course visit near West Palm Beach and later convicted. The Guardian
Evidence the stand may have been there for months — One law‐enforcement source told Fox News the platform looked as if it had been installed “months ago.” UPI
One misstep is too many — As one former Secret Service agent told WPTV, “the threat environment has never been greater,” and a single elevated stand with a clean line of sight may represent an unacceptable vulnerability. WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm
What this tells us (and what remains unknown)
What it tells us:
The protective agencies are aware of the gravity of the threat. The rapid involvement of the FBI and the closing of Southern Boulevard suggest the mitigation was treated with the highest seriousness. WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm
The president’s use of alternate boarding stairs (the smaller stairs into Air Force One rather than the usual grand steps) suggests immediate operational changes in response to the threat. The Daily Beast
The installation of the stand in a high-traffic, highly secured zone implies either extraordinary audacity by whoever placed it or a significant oversight in the perimeter detection protocols.
What remains unknown:
Who built or placed the stand, and with what precise intent. The investigation is ongoing and as yet no individual or group has been publicly identified.
Whether the stand was ever occupied or used to surveil or prepare an attack. So far, no weapons or ammunition were found at the site. New York Post
Whether the stand was meant for “hunting” in the traditional sense (e.g., local game) or as a sniper’s nest. While some local speculation touches on invasive iguana hunting, the timing and location make that explanation weak. New York Post
How long it remained undetected and whether surveillance footage or other digital records captured its placement or use.
Why this matters for national security and politics
A successful attack on a sitting (or returning) president is a nightmare scenario. That one elevated stand overlooked the exit path of Air Force One should trigger a full review of presidential transit zones, airfield perimeters, and advance-team sweeps.
Regardless of intent, the stand’s existence undermines the narrative of automatic protective impenetrability around the president. For the MAGA coalition and conservative security-nerd base, this is a wake-up call: threats are real, persistent, and evolving.
Politically, this incident will amplify calls for expanded presidential security budgets, stricter perimeter checks around private properties (such as Mar-a-Lago) and more aggressive enforcement of airfield buffer zones.
For Trump, who already campaigned heavily on “law and order” and protection of the presidency, this event may reinforce his argument that he faces unique, existential threats — and that major-party voters must treat attacks on him as attacks on the constitutional order.
On the left, the optics could play badly: if the administration can’t account for how a stand went undetected, critics will argue failure of protective apparatus. But for the right-leaning base, the bigger storyline will likely be: “They tried again, we caught it just in time, and we must remain vigilant.”
Bottom line
The discovery of a hunting-stand platform with an unobstructed vantage of Air Force One’s landing/deboarding zone near Palm Beach is not just a curiosity — it’s a near-miss scenario. That no shot was fired is fortunate; that it went undetected for potentially months suggests vulnerability.
The FBI and Secret Service must trace where it came from, how long it was there, and what its purpose was. For Trump’s team — and for any future presidential movement — the message is clear: no perimeter can be taken for granted, and every tree, platform, hidden vantage must be scanned.
