Armed Suspect ARRESTED at TRUMP Golf Course ahead of President's L.A. Fundraising Visit

[0:00] A major security scare as President Trump arrives here in Southern California. [0:05] A suspect arrested at Trump National Golf Course with a loaded gun, ammunition, and body armor. [0:10] That arrest over the weekend led to the discovery of even more weapons, ammunition, [0:15] and other concerning discoveries inside the suspect's home. [0:19] KTLA's Haley Winslow live with the latest. Haley. [0:24] President Donald Trump is inside his golf course right now at a round table and then a reception [0:28] before he heads to Red Rock Casino in Vegas. And yes, his arrival today drew quite a crowd of both supporters [0:35] and protesters and also quite a bit of security. A lot of people nervous after the arrest over the weekend. [0:42] This was a man who appeared in court today and was ordered to stay away from Donald Trump [0:46] and to stay in California. His name is Janine John T'Ele. He's a 38-year-old man out of Downey, [0:52] and police found weapons and some other concerning items both on him, in his car, [0:57] and at his home. He was taking pictures and video, according to investigators, [1:02] of a security meeting that was about this event. It's a fundraiser that President Trump [1:07] is having here today for about an hour, and it's a chance for him, according to the White House, [1:12] to celebrate his recent work. So this man was taking pictures of security and just acting very [1:17] suspicious, and when they went to his home, they found a lot of other concerning items, [1:23] including ammo, two loaded pistols, body armor, as well as some other items. Now, we talked to [1:32] some protesters today as the president was landing in Marine One at his golf course [1:36] about 5 o'clock today. Here's what they had to say about his arrival. As the president and his team [1:48] landing in Marine One on the golf course at about 5 p.m., people for and against the president [1:52] were both cheering him on and booing him for being here. He's on a two-day West Coast trip [1:56] heading to Las Vegas straight from here. And to prep, security had a meeting where LASD arrested [2:02] that suspicious armed man on property. Also here today was the FBI, as well as the Secret Service, [2:08] making sure that the president and the people here at the dinner were both safe. We talked to some [2:12] protesters about Trump being here. Here's what they had to say today. There's so many. It's hard to [2:18] even fathom. I mean, ICE is the latest, but I think basically it's just not following the laws, [2:23] doing what you want to do. And I actually made a no king sign before that was even their slogan. [2:29] I'm in education. I have a lot of students who are undocumented who are afraid to go to school [2:33] right now. I think president, he's really nice, kind person, and he cares about America. [2:43] These are cards my kids made for him. Unfortunately, the Secret Service wouldn't allow us to get them [2:47] to President Trump, but we will mail them to the White House. [2:49] Janine Janantele, who was arrested over the weekend, was also being investigated [2:57] by El Segundo police for a robbery there. He was arraigned already in court today. He pled [3:03] not guilty, and it's being held on $250,000 bail. His next court date is August 26th. And in the [3:09] meantime, again, he's been ordered to stay away from the president and stay in the state of [3:13] California. Reporting live here in Rancho Palos Verdes, I'm Haley Winslow, KTLA 5 News. [3:18] Haley, thank you. With more on the president's trip out west now, we are joined once again [3:22] by Blake Jones. He's the co-author of Politico's California Playbook. Blake, we are going to get [3:28] to that arrest in just a moment. Important stuff. But first, let's talk about the purpose of this [3:32] trip. Fundraising, obviously a big focus pre-midterms. But the White House says the president is [3:38] drawing a sharp contrast. And this is a quote between his common sense agenda and radical policies [3:44] of Democrats like Gavin Newsom, who keep raising taxes, inviting rampant fraud, [3:49] and protecting illegal immigrants. What do you think? [3:53] Yeah, I think that drawing that contrast is a really important component of the fundraising [3:58] that President Trump is out here to do. You know, when he's at this event with RNC members, [4:05] with the Republican National Committee, and some of the wealthy donors who are Republicans in Los [4:10] Angeles, he's speaking to a crowd that I think wants to hear more criticism of Governor Newsom's [4:16] handling of the state of affairs here in California. They're going to be a very receptive crowd to [4:21] this, and they might even open their wallets a little bit more if they hear, you know, [4:25] President Trump channel some of the frustrations that they themselves feel. [4:30] Blake, as you know, California has been at the forefront of the resistance to the second [4:34] Trump presidency, over 80 lawsuits, Prop 50 redistricting, but this is only Trump's second [4:39] visit to Los Angeles since taking office. That first trip just a week or so into his term [4:45] following the fires. Talk about the dynamic between Trump and the golden state over the past 19 months. [4:53] Yeah, obviously, President Trump and California leadership have always had a pretty confrontational [4:59] relationship, but things really have shifted a ton since President Trump was inaugurated back in [5:06] January of 2025. I mean, you know, he had come off of this performance in which he had, you know, [5:13] dug somewhat into Joe Biden's 2020 margin in California and had performed a little bit better [5:19] than in the past in California. But then, you know, as, you know, Governor Newsom met with him early on, [5:28] you know, they there was a somewhat friendly relationship as Governor Newsom sought disaster [5:33] relief for the fires in Los Angeles. But things really went south as President Trump sent [5:39] ICE agents and the Marine Corps to Los Angeles and, you know, throughout the country to kind of occupy [5:48] and carry out some of these immigration raids. And since then, there's just been, you know, a total [5:53] blow up in the relationship between California Democrats and the Trump administration. [5:58] Yeah, the governor's office also speaking out today, Blake, they're saying that Trump is [6:02] simply focused on raising money while our wildfire survivors still waiting for federal recovery [6:08] funds. So how is the governor actually capitalizing on this visit? And do we know exactly where that [6:15] funding fight stands? Yeah, well, you know, we expect that Governor Newsom is going to run for [6:21] president in 2028, though he, you know, hasn't announced a decision on that. So and I think [6:27] that a lot Democratic voters not only in California, but across the country are looking for somebody [6:33] who's going to be the chief sort of Trump antagonist. And that is something that Governor Newsom has [6:39] succeeded at generally. So anytime you see the president in your backyard as a politician governing [6:45] California, you should definitely seize on that opportunity. When it comes to those requests for [6:52] disaster relief. You know, we have seen FEMA has offered some reimbursement for infrastructure [7:00] rebuilding. We've also seen the Small Business Administration offer some grants to businesses [7:05] that suffered damage. But some of these larger multi billion dollar requests for supplemental aid that [7:11] not only Governor Newsom has made, but some of the congressional Republicans and Democrats from [7:16] California have made, have not been forwarded by the White House and have not been passed by [7:21] Republican leadership in Congress. So Democrats here are still waiting. [7:24] So back to our reporting at the top of the broadcast, the arrest of that armed suspect at Trump [7:30] national golf course, another potential threat against a president who has seen a number of [7:34] assassination plots and attempts against him. Optically, what do you think this does? And do you think the [7:40] president will use it as part of that contrast to California? Yeah, I mean, I think it feeds [7:46] some of this thinking, you know, about the world by President Trump and some of his orbit that, [7:52] you know, they have been under attack, which is, you know, is certainly true from these [7:57] past assassination attempts. But yeah, I think it also does give the president a chance to [8:04] kind of riff a little bit in this meeting with some of these donors. He likes to [8:09] cast California as this sort of crime-filled wasteland. And, you know, obviously, uh, [8:15] you know, the governor, you know, the governor would push back on that strongly, but it, uh, [8:19] nevertheless, uh, gives the president, you know, a chance to say that once again in front of all of [8:24] these wealthy donors. All right, Blake, while we have you shifting gears right now on all eyes tonight [8:30] on that high-stakes Democratic Senate primary going on in Michigan, progressive Abdul El-Sayed backed by [8:36] Bernie Sanders and Hassan Piker versus moderate Congresswoman Hailey Stevens backed by Gretchen [8:42] Whitmer and Jim Clyburn. Progressive DSA candidates, they have been winning primaries across the country. [8:49] So the race tonight really becomes a battle over the future of the party. About 30 seconds left. What do [8:54] you think? Yeah, I think that, that, that we're going to be watching to see who wins, especially [9:00] because Michigan is such a battleground state and tends to be so politically purple. I think that from [9:06] this, um, if the progressive is able to win, um, then that might have some lessons for some similar [9:13] battles happening in politically contested territory out here in California, such as the race for [9:19] front-line Republican representative David Valadao seat over in the Central Valley where he is being [9:25] challenged by a Bernie Sanders backed progressive in Randy Viegas. I think that this will provide some [9:31] early indications as to whether, you know, some of these progressives can actually win in places like [9:36] that. Blake Jones with his ear on the ground, co-author of Politico's California Playbook. Good of [9:41] you to take the time. Thank you. Thank you.