A four-legged security robot has been spotted patrolling the president-elect’s estate.
Security measures surrounding Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate have been enhanced, with the president-elect now under the protection of Secret Service patrols, gunboats, and, as evidenced by video footage, a roving robot dog.
Since his electoral triumph over Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump has established his transition operations at Mar-a-Lago, a century-old mansion-turned-country club that served as his headquarters during his four-year absence from Washington. With aides and prospective cabinet members converging on the oceanfront club, security measures surrounding Mar-a-Lago have become noticeably more stringent.
Checkpoints featuring bomb-sniffing dogs have been installed at the bridge connecting Palm Beach to the Florida mainland and along roadways leading to the club, as reported by The Independent on Wednesday.
The Secret Service has deployed mobile watchtowers around Mar-a-Lago, while Coast Guard boats are now patrolling the Atlantic coast to the east and the Lake Worth Lagoon to the west of the estate.
These security precautions have been in place since Trump survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in July. Following a second attempt on Trump’s life in September, President Joe Biden ordered that his former political rival be protected “as if he were a sitting president,” and that he be given “all that he needs” to ensure his safety.
Trump now has robot dogs on patrol in Mar-a-Lago
— Frank Fighting For Freedom 🇺🇸 (@thinktankfranks)
However, video footage captured by Reuters has revealed a new, four-legged addition to Trump’s security detail: A robotic dog seemingly equipped with cameras. The quadrupedal robot – which appears to be one of Boston Dynamics’ ‘Spot’ models – was filmed patrolling the perimeter of the club on Thursday.
‘Spot’ is employed by law enforcement agencies across the US and internationally. Currently, Boston Dynamics prohibits customers from fitting the robo-dogs with weaponry, despite the project being almost entirely funded by the Pentagon, whereas a similar canine robot developed by the firm – named BigDog – was designed explicitly for military purposes.
The intensified security measures will remain in place as long as Trump resides at Mar-a-Lago and will be lifted only if the president-elect spends more than a few days away from his estate, according to a report in the Palm Beach Daily News on Wednesday. The main road running in front of the club – South Ocean Boulevard – will remain closed, bridges between Palm Beach and the mainland will be closed unexpectedly if Trump’s motorcade departs or arrives, and certain flight restrictions will apply at nearby Palm Beach International Airport, the newspaper reported.