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A Texas man was arrested early Monday after police say he scaled a wall at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, claiming he wanted to “spread the gospel” to Trump and marry his granddaughter.
Anthony Thomas Reyes, 23, was charged with misdemeanor trespassing and remained in the Palm Beach County Jail on $50,000 bond following a court appearance Monday, according to jail and court records. He pleaded not guilty during his first appearance before Judge Daliah Weiss, who ordered Reyes to have no contact with Trump, his granddaughter Kai Madison Trump, or any members of the Trump family.
Palm Beach police responded to the private club shortly after midnight on June 3, where U.S. Secret Service agents reported finding Reyes on the 17-acre property. According to the arrest report, Reyes admitted to jumping a wall to gain entry. Trump was in Washington, D.C., at the time.
Reyes told officers he came to Mar-a-Lago to speak with Trump about the gospel and expressed his intention to marry Kai Trump, the daughter of Donald Trump Jr. and his former wife, Vanessa Trump.
In addition to the no-contact order, Judge Weiss barred Reyes from possessing firearms or visiting any Trump-owned property or witnesses connected to the incident.
Reyes is being represented by the Palm Beach County Public Defender’s Office, which declined to comment, citing office policy on open cases.
According to police, this is not Reyes’ first encounter at Mar-a-Lago. He was previously issued a trespass warning on Dec. 31, 2024, during a period when Trump was believed to be staying at the estate.
His arrest comes amid heightened security at Trump properties following the attempted assassination of the president at a July 13 campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Mar-a-Lago remains under Secret Service protection as a designated security zone.
Ryan Routh was also charged with an assassination attempt against Trump last year. Routh’s actions occurred on September 15 at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.