F-16s intercept two aircraft that breached restricted airspace as Trump attended Bedminster golf event.
By World Israel News Staff
US fighter jets intercepted two civilian aircraft that entered restricted airspace around President Donald Trump’s New Jersey golf club on Sunday, prompting a military response as the president attended a LIV Golf tournament at the property.
F-16s operated by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, intercepted the two general aviation aircraft after they violated a Federal Aviation Administration temporary flight restriction over Bedminster, according to the military.
Both aircraft were escorted away without incident.
“All general aviation aircraft were safely escorted out of the area by NORAD aircraft,” the NAADC said.
Trump was at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster at the time, attending the final day of LIV Golf New York.
The tournament ran from August 6 through August 9, and Trump was photographed at the club during Sunday’s final round.
The president had traveled to Bedminster on Friday and was scheduled to return to Washington on Sunday evening.
Officials have not said what caused the two pilots to enter the restricted zone or whether the violations were deliberate.
NORAD told Reuters that determining whether the pilots had simply made a mistake was a matter for the FAA.
Temporary flight restrictions are routinely imposed around locations visited by the president, and pilots are responsible for reviewing current FAA notices before taking off.
NORAD reminded general aviation pilots Sunday that Notices to Airmen, or NOTAMs, must be checked before every flight and that temporary flight restriction procedures must be followed.
The Continental US NORAD Region, based at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, led the military response.
The incident was the latest in a series of incursions into protected airspace near Trump during his second term.
Less than a month earlier, on July 19, more than 10 general aviation aircraft entered temporary restricted airspace over Bedminster and East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Three of those aircraft required interception by NORAD fighters. During two of the intercepts, the military deployed flares to attract the pilots’ attention before escorting the planes away.
The July restrictions coincided with heightened security surrounding presidential movements and the World Cup final in the New York-New Jersey area.
NORAD said at the time that the flares were designed to burn out rapidly and presented no danger to people on the ground.
Similar incidents have occurred near Trump properties in Florida.
F-16s were dispatched after aircraft entered restricted airspace near Trump’s Palm Beach properties earlier in his second term, including an incident in March in which a civilian plane was intercepted near Mar-a-Lago.
A separate weekend at Bedminster in July 2025 saw 11 unauthorized incursions into the restricted zone, prompting then-NORAD commander Gen. Gregory Guillot to complain that some civilian pilots were apparently failing to review their NOTAMs before flying.
Sunday’s breach occurred against a broader backdrop of heightened security around Trump following assassination attempts and other threats.
The New York Post noted that authorities last week announced an arrest after a handgun and ammunition were discovered in a vehicle at Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
Authorities alleged that the suspect had been walking around the golf course taking photographs and video and appeared to be observing security preparations ahead of a planned Trump visit.
Trump has repeatedly spoken about the personal dangers associated with the presidency since surviving the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a gunman opened fire during a campaign rally and a bullet struck Trump’s ear.
“Being president is a very dangerous profession,” Trump told Fox News last month.
“It’s 5.2% of the presidents, basically, are killed, 8.5% are shot at or shot,” he added.
Authorities have given no indication that Sunday’s airspace violations represented an attempt to threaten Trump.
The aircraft involved were described only as general aviation planes, a category that covers civilian flying outside scheduled commercial airline and military operations.
The military also did not report using flares during Sunday’s intercepts, unlike during some previous encounters with aircraft that failed to respond promptly to warnings.
The incident unfolded as Trump watched the final round of LIV Golf New York at his Bedminster property. Joaquin Niemann won the tournament at 16-under par, while Jon Rahm secured his third consecutive LIV season-long individual title.
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