Trump golfs beside missile defense system amid assassination threats

Photos and video of President Donald Trump golfing alongside a mobile air defense missile system have drawn widespread attention.

According to The War Zone, a US military affairs outlet, a US Army Humvee equipped with a missile system was spotted near Trump as he played golf Sunday at his Bedminster, New Jersey course.

The Humvee carried an Avenger air defense system capable of firing Stinger short-range surface-to-air missiles — a mobile, close-range launch platform deployed at the golf course to enable a rapid response to any attack targeting Trump.

The War Zone said the Avenger system was also visible in footage of Trump's golf course visit released by the White House on Aug. 1. In the video, Trump shakes hands one by one with uniformed personnel while telling them, "I'm not worried about missiles and drones." The soldiers with him appeared to be the crew operating the Avenger system.

On the same day, two commercial aircraft breached the temporary flight restriction zone over the golf course, prompting North American Aerospace Defense Command to scramble two F-16 fighter jets.

Trump has shown heightened concern over assassination threats. After wrapping up the NATO summit earlier last month, he reportedly left Turkey aboard a military aircraft while concealed in a catering truck — staging a decoy boarding of Air Force One — out of concern over a potential Iranian attack.

In April, an armed man was arrested after attempting to pass through a security checkpoint at a dinner attended by Trump and the White House press corps. More recently, a man carrying a firearm was caught at a California golf course Trump had been scheduled to visit.

In July 2024, a bullet grazed the upper part of Trump's right ear while he was on the campaign trail as a presidential candidate.