New records released by the Secret Service detailed how a member of Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, carried a loaded gun past a Secret Service screening checkpoint last year when President Trump was at the club.
Freedom of Information Act records, requested by D.C.-based watchdog nonprofit Judicial Watch following a report from Real Clear Politics, detailed how the golf club member apparently inadvertently brought his firearm onto the golf course property while Mr. Trump was playing on the course.
According to the heavily redacted records, the member arrived at about noon on Aug. 31, 2025.
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“Upon arrival at TNGC, [redacted] entered the clubhouse through the [redacted] entrance and was screened at that location,” the record states.
“[Redacted] advised that he was searched via a [redacted] metal detector and his bag was searched visually. [Redacted] then went on to eat lunch on the patio and then go to the pool,” it said.
The record continued, “Upon changing his clothes after using the pool, [redacted] realized that he had inadvertently left his Glock 43 pistol in the gym bag and that the bag was searched without the pistol being found.”
“It was at this time the member approached a [redacted]-stander at the employee entrance and advised of the situation because he ’cares about POTUS.’”
Washington Field Office Protective Intelligence unit was notified and Secret Service special agents responded.
According to press pool reports, Mr. Trump had arrived at the club at about 10 am, where White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles was later seen.
Mr. Trump played all day on the course with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden until the president left the club at 4:10 pm.
Outside the club, there were two protesters on one side of the street and about a dozen supporters cheering and waving Trump signs and American flags on the other side.
The Washington Field Office Protective Intelligence unit interviewed the member, viewed the pistol, and reviewed club camera footage, and the footage matched his account.
The Secret Service’s Protective Intelligence and Assessment Division report said no protective movements were affected and no media coverage was reported.
The following day, a Secret Service employee wrote that they wanted a full interview with the gun owner if he showed up again while agents were on the course.
The agent in charge of searching the member’s bag was reportedly placed on administrative leave during the review.
Following the security breach at the club, Secret Service Director Sean Curran and Deputy Director Matt Quinn visited the president’s golf club and received a briefing. Mr. Trump has often played on the Virginia golf course since returning to the presidency.
The president has faced several attempts against his life, including one on the 2024 campaign trail in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a gunman shot the tip of his right ear.
The security failures have drawn intense scrutiny on the Secret Service, but Mr. Trump has publicly defended the agency.
The Washington Times reached out to the Secret Service for comment.
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