What to Know
After an armed man entered the secure perimeter of President Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort on Sunday, February 22, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tried to point fingers at Democrats. The man, later identified as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina, reportedly had a gas can and a shotgun. He was shot and killed by Secret Service agents. At the time of the incident, Trump was in Washington D.C.
In her statement, Leavitt praised the Secret Service and criticized Democrats.
On X, Leavitt 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.” Then, at the end of the post, she blamed Democrats. “Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans,” she continued. “It’s shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department.”
Because of concerns about immigration enforcement, Senate Democrats voted against a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security. The DHS is currently shut down. People were not impressed by the way Leavitt tried to turn what happened at Mar-a-Lago into a partisan issue. “You forget y’all represent Democrats, too,” one critic wrote in response. “You can’t even make one post without bashing Democrats. Shame on you!”
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. Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our… https://t.co/MYTsHqR4cx
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) February 22, 2026
More information has come out about the man’s alleged politics.
What happened at Mar-a-Lago is still under investigation. The man’s cousin, Braeden Fields, described him as “a good kid” who came from a family of Trump supporters, PBS reported. He told The Sun, “I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing.” Fields also said, “We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody.” At the same time, he said his cousin was “real quiet.”
Leavitt is not the only person who has blamed Democrats.
After the man tried to break into Mar-a-Lago, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller also took to X to complain about Democrats voting against DHS funding. “Democrats voted to defund Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations (who partner with Secret Service) and all the intelligence and law enforcement functions that support Secret Service,” he wrote on the platform. “Never before in history has federal law enforcement been purposefully defunded.”
Democrats voted to defund Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations (who partner with Secret Service) and all the intelligence and law enforcement functions that support Secret Service.
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) February 22, 2026
Never before in history has federal law enforcement been purposefully defunded.
But many of the people who reacted to his post blamed Miller instead. “The majority of Americans are against ICE and Trump. YOU did that. Why @realDonaldTrump hasn’t fired you is beyond me,” one critic wrote in response. Someone else said, “Maybe If DHS found a way to civilize the ICE agents and their unruly activities, We won’t be here today!! But let the blame game keep going on!”
