Where was Trump when armed man entered his Mar-a-Lago estate? A weekend dinner event

Trump was in Washington at the time of the incident, which officials said happened around 1:30 am local time.

Updated on: Feb 23, 2026 6:04 AM IST

Share via

Copy link

The US Secret Service said on Sunday that its agents had shot and killed an armed man who had illegally entered the premises of President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

The annual White House dinner is an occasion where leaders from both parties come together, socialize . (Reuters)

Trump was in Washington at the time of the incident, which officials said happened around 1:30 am local time. At the time, Trump was with First Lady Melania Trump at the Governor's Dinner after a turbulent week for the White House.

Attending annual dinner in Washington

While the US president usually likes to spend his weekends in the resort, the annual dinner kept him in Washington during the incident on Saturday.

The annual White House dinner is an occasion where leaders from both parties come together, socialize and spend a low-key evening with the president, Associated Press reported.

As per officials of White House, the President has remained at the executive mansion from Saturday for a series of internal strategy meetings. Later in the day, he also delivered the daily brief, in addition to the dinner event.

Also read: Man enters secure perimeter of Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, shot dead: ‘Was carrying a shotgun and a fuel can’

The dinner followed a major setback for Trump after the Supreme Court struck down his sweeping tariff policy. This year's gathering was contentious after Trump, ahead of the National Governors Association meeting, criticised the leadership, including Republican Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and Democratic Maryland Governor Wes Moore.

Trump initially excluded Moore and Colorado Governor Jared Polis from the working event at White House on Friday, but ultimately invited them.

Also read: Mar-a-Lago shooting: What happened at Trump's Palm Beach club? First details out

Last visited resort two weeks ago

The President last visited his Florida estate during the weekend of February 7-8. While it was initially speculated that the president might visit Palm Beach this weekend, the White House official schedule released on Friday evening indicated he would remain in D.C. This marked nearly two full weeks since his last departure from his Florida club.

Meanwhile, the identity of the trespasser at Mar-a-Lago resort has not been released yet, but the suspect was reportedly in his early 20s.

Trump has faced threats to his life before, including two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Akansha Purohit
Akansha Purohit is a Content Producer at Hindustan Times, where she is part of the online news desk. She began her journey with the organisation as an intern and later joined the newsroom in a full-time editorial role. With close to a year of experience at Hindustan Times, she contributes to the daily news cycle by writing, curating, and editing digital content. Her work primarily focuses on national and international news, along with explainers that simplify complex developments and ongoing issues. She also writes on matters of public interest, and handles blogs with live updates. Akansha holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Kamala Nehru College, University of Delhi, and completed her postgraduate studies in Digital Media from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi. During her postgraduate programme, she worked on several research and journalism projects that strengthened her reporting, editing, and digital storytelling skills.Read More

Get the latest headlines from US news and global updates from Pakistan, Nepal, UK, Bangladesh, Russia, and get all the latest headlines in one place on Hindustan Times.