Donald Trump quickly boarded Air Force One using the plane’s small stairs in Palm Beach on Sunday after a suspicious item was found in the area.
A White House official told Fox News that the 79-year-old president chose the smaller staircase because of “heightened security measures.”
According to Fox, the FBI is investigating an item that officials suspect is a hunting stand. The Secret Service spotted him on Friday, a day before Trump arrived in Florida at Palm Beach International Airport for a weekend of golf at his private resort.
The object was found in a tree with a clear view of the airport. NBC News cited a senior official familiar with the investigation as saying the stand was “about 200 yards” from an area where Air Force One is not normally parked, but was in use on Friday due to airport construction.
The Secret Service found the suspicious item across the road from Palm Beach International Airport. / Secret Service
“During pre-arrival security preparations in Palm Beach, including the use of technology and comprehensive physical sweeps, our teams identified objects of interest near Palm Beach International Airport,” Secret Service communications chief Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement to the Daily Beast.
“No movements were affected, no persons were present or present at the location.
The Secret Service said it could not provide details about the items or their intent, noting that “this incident underscores the importance of our multi-layered security measures.”
The president’s son, Eric, praised the federal agency X after the find.
FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators have not yet linked the suspected hunting stand to anyone and are working with local authorities.
“On Friday, before the president returned to West Palm Beach, the USSS detected an elevated hunting area within sight of the Air Force One landing zone,” Patel told The Daily Beast.
“No individuals were found at the scene. The FBI has since begun an investigation, scrambling resources to collect all evidence from the scene and utilizing our cell phone analysis capabilities.”
Air Force One’s mini-staircase is shorter and sturdier and allows access from the belly of the plane, rather than the usual elevated level from which the president is usually seen when boarding and disembarking.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
Trump did not discuss the latest security measures when he spoke to the media aboard Air Force One on Sunday when he returned to Washington.
According to the Fox footage, the president returned to exiting Air Force One via a tall flight of stairs after landing.
Trump was filmed tripping on the tall steps of Air Force One during a visit to New Jersey in June of this year.
President Joe Biden began using small stairs in 2023 after tripping on a tall flight of stairs, which kept the public and media from noticing his use of the stairs.
At the time, the White House said the choice of stairs depended on weather conditions, security and the availability of escalators.
In the past 18 months, there have been two assassination attempts on the president. Ryan Routh was found guilty last month of trying to kill Trump at his Florida golf course in 2024. in September
The 59-year-old was convicted on all five counts, including attempted assassination of a leading presidential candidate, assault on a federal officer and firearms charges.
Trump also survived being shot by 20-year-old Michael Thomas Crooks at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania last July. Crooks was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper.