US President addresses fatal intrusion attempt, reflects on risks of high office
February 24, 2026: A day after a gunman was shot dead while attempting to breach the security perimeter of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the US President publicly responded to the incident. Speaking at a White House event alongside angel families, Trump said he did not know how long he would be around and remarked that many people seemed to be “gunning” for him. Delivering his comments with characteristic humour, he reflected on the dangers associated with the presidency. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were in Washington when the attempted breach occurred at the Palm Beach property.
The United States has a long history of presidential assassinations and attempts. Four presidents — Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy — were killed in office. Trump himself survived two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign, including a July rally in Pennsylvania where a bullet grazed his ear before Secret Service agents secured the area. He suggested that attackers often target leaders they consider consequential, joking that he might prefer to be “a little bit less consequential” for a while.
Authorities identified the Mar-a-Lago intruder as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin from North Carolina. According to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, Martin drove through the estate’s north gate around 1:30 a.m. armed with a shotgun and carrying a petrol canister. When instructed to drop the weapon, he allegedly raised it, prompting Secret Service personnel and a sheriff’s deputy to open fire, killing him at the scene. Officials said Martin had been reported missing days earlier and had travelled from North Carolina to Florida, obtaining the firearm en route. A weapon case was later recovered from his vehicle.