Chinese Citizen Arrested Again, Accused of Trespassing At Mar-a-Lago
A Chinese national, Zijie Li, 39, was detained on Thursday following multiple attempts over recent months to enter Mar-a-Lago, the Florida residence of President-elect Trump, authorities reported.
An arrest affidavit states that Li made several efforts to access the Palm Beach estate to try and speak with Trump. Following prior warnings, he now faces an additional trespassing charge along with an unresolved charge from July. Li is being held at the Palm Beach County Main Detention Center with bail set at $100,000, according to jail records cited by Fox News.
In the affidavit, an officer noted that "The Palm Beach Police Department, in coordination with the United States Secret Service, believes that Li’s repeated attempts to enter Mar-a-Lago to approach the President-elect may lead to a need for more escalated enforcement measures."
Li’s initial attempt to access Mar-a-Lago occurred on July 19, just six days after a first attempt on Trump’s life, according to the probable cause affidavit. Security had been tightened at the club due to the assassination attempt during Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Reports indicate that Li allegedly tried to enter through Mar-a-Lago’s main gate but was intercepted by the Secret Service.
Li informed a Secret Service agent that he had information suggesting Chinese involvement in the assassination attempt on Trump and sought to provide documents.
Following this incident, local police issued Li a trespassing warning. Trump was not at Mar-a-Lago then, as he was attending the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Afterwards, Li returned to Palm Beach multiple times, driving to the north checkpoint but refraining from trying to enter Mar-a-Lago, the affidavit says. On July 22, security footage captured him crossing the Royal Park Bridge twice, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
On July 30, with Trump back at Mar-a-Lago after his Wisconsin trip, Li was seen placing paperwork about Trump on vehicles in Palm Beach.
The next day, Li was arrested for allegedly trespassing at Mar-a-Lago and was required to stay at least 500 feet from the property as part of his bond conditions.
On October 30, Li reportedly asked a nearby resident for assistance in getting onto the property, inquiring if she was a member of the club and requesting a ride onto the grounds. The resident notified police, identifying Li, who was then “Baker Acted” for a week under Florida’s mental health law, Fox noted.
Upon his release, Li returned to Mar-a-Lago on Thursday around 5 p.m. and was subsequently detained. An assistant state attorney informed WPTV that Li was in the U.S. on a student visa from California.
With Trump set to serve a second term and constitutionally limited to two, speculation has already begun regarding his potential successor.
Currently, Vice President-elect JD Vance leads as the most likely candidate to become the 48th president, holding a 25% probability (+300 odds), according to SportsBettingDime.
Historically, since 1933, only five vice presidents have successfully ascended to the presidency, the New York Post reported.
Vance, 40, tops the odds list, with former First Lady Michelle Obama (+500) and California Governor Gavin Newsom (+550) following. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (+800), ex-Democratic congresswoman turned Republican activist Tulsi Gabbard (+1000), and right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson (+1400) round out the top names.
Vice President Kamala Harris (+2500) is tied with Oprah Winfrey, slightly ahead of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (+3300), whom Harris chose not to select as her running mate, despite opinions from Democratic strategists that he could have helped secure Pennsylvania for the party.