Trump's motorcade rerouted after Secret Service found ‘suspicious object’ near Palm Beach airport

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: President Donald Trump’s motorcade was quietly rerouted on Sunday, January 11, after the Secret Service discovered what officials described as a “suspicious object” near Palm Beach International Airport.

The incident forced security teams to make last-minute changes just before his departure for Washington, DC. Trump had been staying at his Mar-a-Lago estate since Friday and was headed back to the White House when it unfolded. His private club sits roughly five miles from the airport.

According to the White House, agents detected the item during routine security sweeps. “During advance sweeps of PBI Airport, a suspicious object was discovered by USSS [Secret Service],” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “A further investigation was warranted, and the presidential motorcade route was adjusted accordingly.”

Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi confirmed to The Associated Press that the president was diverted from his original path as a safety measure. "That is standard protocol," he told the outlet.

Heavy police presence and a tense drive to the runway

The heightened security was unmistakable as Trump’s motorcade made its way to Palm Beach International.

Police officers on motorcycles created a rolling barricade around the convoy, forming what witnesses described as a moving blockade. At one point, officers nearly collided with the vans traveling alongside Trump.

At the airport, Air Force One was positioned on the opposite side of the tarmac from where it is typically parked. The lights outside the aircraft were also turned off.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that multiple agencies were working the scene.

Spokeswoman Teri Barbera said deputies, the FBI, and the Secret Service were all involved in the investigation.

Nearby, a WPBF staff member reported seeing sheriff’s deputies with their emergency lights on stationed at key locations along the perimeter road. The Southern Boulevard ramp was closed during the operation. By 8.24 pm, the town of Palm Beach announced that South Ocean Boulevard had reopened between South County Road and Southern Boulevard.

Flight timeline and Trump’s silence on the incident

Despite the security scare, Trump’s travel schedule continued.

New York Times reporter Aishvarya Kavi, serving as the pool reporter, did not provide a specific time for Trump’s departure from Mar-a-Lago or his arrival at the airport. However, a report filed at 7.06 pm noted that the POTUS “was scheduled to return to the White House this evening” and included Leavitt’s statement about the suspicious object.

ABC News reported that Air Force One departed around 6.30 pm.

The plane touched down at Joint Base Andrews at 8.36 pm. During a nearly 21-minute exchange with reporters afterward, Trump did not raise the issue of the suspicious object.

When directly asked about it, the President brushed it aside and told reporters, “I know nothing about it.”

Marine One later ferried him to the White House, touching down on the South Lawn at 9.12 pm.

Earlier in the day, Trump had been golfing at Trump National Golf Course in West Palm Beach. He departed the course at 3.02 pm and arrived back at Mar-a-Lago eight minutes later, at 3.10 pm, where he remained until leaving for the airport later that evening.

Pattern of threats around Trump

Sunday’s incident was not the first time Secret Service agents have had to deal with a potential threat near Trump’s Florida base.

On October 19, authorities discovered what they described as a suspicious hunting stand positioned with a direct line of sight to where Trump exits Air Force One. The roadway near the scene was not reopened until 5 p.m. the following day, about 24 hours after it had been shut down.

“Before the President’s return to West Palm Beach, USSS discovered what appeared to be an elevated hunting stand within sight line of the Air Force One landing zone,” FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News at the time. “No individuals were located at the scene. The FBI has since taken the investigatory lead, flying in resources to collect all evidence from the scene, and deploying our cell phone analytics capabilities.”

A law enforcement source later told Fox News that the stand appeared to have been in place for “months” before it was found.

The hunting stand discovery came only weeks after Ryan Routh was convicted of attempting to assassinate Trump at his Palm Beach golf course. Prosecutors said Routh had set up a sniper’s nest hidden in bushes along a fence line. That case followed an even closer attempt on Trump’s life, when he was shot in the ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.