Some folks who were taking video of the White House on Monday afternoon got quite a surprise with what happened while they were filming.
A man dressed in black suddenly ran towards the fence and swiftly climbed over the barriers at the South Grounds of the White House. He was heard saying “F**k it” before he proceeded to climb the fence. Onlookers, who were tourists, were puzzled, questioning when the police and Secret Service would intervene as the man made his way up the fence.
One of the tourists says, “Bro!” with concern that the guy seems to be getting up the fence without being impeded. No one was reacting.
Secret Service swarm black-clad man who tried climbing over White House fence after saying, ‘F–k it’ pic.twitter.com/icHhqXZPop
— New York Post (@nypost) February 5, 2025
A police officer observed the man’s actions as dogs and the Secret Service personnel approached the scene. The man seemed to be attempting to flip over the fence but hesitated when he reached the top, possibly deterred by the approaching dogs.
Upon descending from the fence, the police swiftly apprehended him. The whole incident lasted just a little over a minute, although the response time seemed longer. Concerns arose about the potential threat he could have posed if he had dangerous items on him. The incident also shed light on the ease with which one could breach the fence, raising security concerns. Items that the man had on him fell to the ground, prompting the hope that they were secured. Additionally, two spikes at the top of the fence appeared to bend due to his actions.
The man who took the video was an Oklahoma tourist, David Stanley.
Authorities have not released the identity of the climber or shared his motive for scaling the White House fence.
The man did appear to be a black, bearded man. It wasn’t clear yet what charges he might face. They don’t have any information yet about what his purpose was or what he was thinking. But whatever it was, he is now facing the consequences of such a stupid move.
President Trump was likely in the building. He was there greeting the Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, that afternoon.
There were situations in the recent past involving people trying to scale the fence or cause trouble, including with protesters seemingly trying to push down fencing around the White House over the war in Gaza.
