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President Donald Trump on Monday publicly addressed the weekend shooting of an armed intruder at his Mar-a-Lago residence, acknowledging the ongoing security threats he faces and telling supporters, “Got a lot of people gunning for me, don’t I?”
The president’s remarks came during an Angel Families event in the East Room of the White House, one day after Secret Service agents shot and killed a 21-year-old man who authorities said breached the perimeter of the Palm Beach, Florida, property.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw identified the suspect as Austin Tucker Martin of Cameron, North Carolina. Bradshaw said deputies encountered Martin around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, carrying a shotgun and a gas can.
He was “ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him,” Bradshaw said at a press conference. “At which time he put down the gas can and raised the shotgun to a shooting position.”
Secret Service agents protecting the property then opened fire and “neutralized the threat,” officials said.
President Trump was not at Mar-a-Lago when the shooting occurred. He and first lady Melania Trump had hosted a governors’ dinner at the White House the previous evening.
Speaking on Monday, Trump reflected on the risks associated with high office, suggesting that presidents who shape history are more likely to be targeted.
“You read about all these crazy shooters, but they only go after consequential presidents,” President Trump said. “They don’t go after nonconsequential presidents.”
Referring to Presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, he added, “They were consequential.”
Trump survived two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign, including a shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a gunman grazed his ear and killed an attendee. A separate plot was later disrupted near his West Palm Beach golf club.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be around,” President Trump said Monday.