U.S. fighter jets intercepted aircraft that entered restricted airspace above Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, where President Donald J. Trump was present this weekend.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) confirmed the incidents on Sunday. On that day, around 1:15 PM local time, pilots deployed flares to alert the pilot of a “general aviation aircraft” that had intruded into the temporarily restricted zone. The aircraft was subsequently escorted out of the region without further issues.
The restricted airspace over Mar-a-Lago extends to a 30-nautical-mile radius when Trump is at the location. The breach occurred while Trump played golf at his nearby course in West Palm Beach. NORAD reported a similar airspace violation on Saturday, though it did not release specific details about that incident.
NORAD communicated the events via X (formerly Twitter), stating, “Twice in the past 48 hours, F-16 fighter jets from the Continental U.S. NORAD region responded to a general aviation aircraft over Palm Beach, FL, violating the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR).” The agency highlighted the importance of maintaining these flight restrictions due to the presence of the President.
Since Trump’s inauguration as President on January 20, NORAD has engaged with 20 “tracks of interest” over Mar-a-Lago’s airspace. During the 2024 presidential election campaign, President Trump was the target of at least two known assassination attempts. Trump was struck in the ear by a would-be assassin’s bullet during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Tragically, rallygoer Corey Comperatore was killed, shielding his family from the gunfire.
Meanwhile, the Ukraine-obsessed Ryan Routh was arrested after being discovered by the United States Secret Service at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course. Routh was armed and hiding along a fence line, waiting to take a shot at Trump.