President Donald Trump briefly addressed the Mar-a-Lago intruder incident at the Angel Families event, hosted at the White House, on Monday. A little backgrounder for those who require one – Over the weekend, an armed man, 21, identified as Austin Tucker Martin from North Carolina, was shot by Secret Service agents for allegedly trying to enter Mar-a-Lago.
At the event, Trump joked, “I don’t know how long I’ll be around. Got a lot of people gunning for me, don’t I?” When the incident took place, Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were away. They were hosting a dinner for the nation’s governors.
Trump: “I don’t know how long I’ll be around. I’ve got a lot of people gunning for me, don’t I?” pic.twitter.com/Boq5pxHxav
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 23, 2026
The President also claimed that the shooters only go after “consequential presidents.” Trump said, “You read about all these crazy shooters, but they only go after consequential presidents. They don’t go after non-consequential presidents, you know?”
Citing the examples of Kennedy and Lincoln, Trump said at the event, “If you take a look-Abraham Lincoln, some big, some big one. John Kennedy, in a certain way, was very consequential. He represented something very important.”
Trump continued, “I was told that-I saw that the other day-they say they only go after consequential. So maybe I want to be a little bit less consequential.” He then jokingly told Border Czar Tom Homan, “Can we hold it back a little bit, please, Tom? Can we just, like, nice and easy? Let’s be a normal President for a little.”
Trump:
You read about all these crazy shooters, but they only go after consequential presidents. They don’t go after non-consequential presidents, you know?
If you take a look—Abraham Lincoln, some big, some big one. John Kennedy, in a certain way, was very consequential. He… pic.twitter.com/RaB9t4coac
— Clash Report (@clashreport) February 23, 2026
After the incident, the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed the Democrats for the government shutdown, and she wrote, “In the middle of the night while most Americans were asleep, the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home.”
Leavitt added in her statement, “Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans. It’s shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department.”
FBI director Kash Patel, in an X entry, wrote after the incident, “FBI is dedicating all necessary resources in the investigation of this morning’s incident at President Trump’s Mar-A-Lago – where an armed individual was shot and killed after unlawfully entering the perimeter. We will continue working closely with Secret Service as well our state and federal partners and will provide updates as we are able.”
FBI is dedicating all necessary resources in the investigation of this morning’s incident at President Trump’s Mar-A-Lago – where an armed individual was shot and killed after unlawfully entering the perimeter. We will continue working closely with @SecretService as well our…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) February 22, 2026
Meanwhile, Austin Tucker Martin’s cousin Braeden Fields, told the Associated Press, “He’s a good kid. I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing. He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun.” He added, “We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody.” He also added that his late cousin was “real quiet, never really talked about anything.”
