Photos and video captured a mobile air defense missile system deployed around U.S. President Donald Trump while he played golf.
According to the War Zone, a U.S. military outlet, on the 11th local time, a Humvee equipped with a missile system appeared next to President Trump as he played golf at his course in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Sunday the 9th.
The Humvee is fitted with the Avenger system, which can fire Stinger short-range surface-to-air missiles. A mobile short-range missile launch system was brought to the course to enable a rapid close response to attacks targeting President Trump.
The War Zone also reported that the Avenger system can be seen in video of President Trump's visit to the golf course that the White House released on the 1st. The footage shows President Trump shaking hands in turn with people in uniform and encouraging them by saying, "I'm not worried about missiles and drones." The service members with him are presumed to be personnel operating the Avenger system.
That same day, two civilian airliners violated the temporary flight restriction over the course, prompting the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to scramble two F-16 fighter jets.
President Trump appears on edge over assassination threats. In early last month, after finishing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, he reportedly feared an Iranian attack, made it look as if he had boarded Air Force One, his presidential aircraft, then hid in a catering truck and left Türkiye on a military plane.
In April, an armed man was arrested after trying to breach the security checkpoint at a dinner with President Trump and the White House press corps. More recently, a man carrying a firearm was caught at a California golf course that President Trump was scheduled to visit. In July 2024, a bullet grazed the upper part of President Trump's right ear during a campaign rally as a presidential candidate.