A confrontation outside President Donald Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course turned physical over the weekend, ending with one man in handcuffs and facing a battery charge, authorities said.
According to Fox News, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said the incident unfolded Sunday as demonstrators gathered across from the golf club.
Investigators said a man identified as Paul Messer was interacting with protesters when a verbal dispute with a woman escalated into violence.
Deputies allege Messer struck the woman multiple times in the upper chest and neck with a metal flagpole.
The woman stumbled backward and showed visible redness on the right side of her neck, officials said. Messer was arrested at the scene and transported to the Palm Beach County Jail.
A photo published by the Palm Beach Post appeared to show the suspect holding an anti-Trump flag while arguing with a woman wearing a pro-Trump hat, capturing the tense moments before the alleged assault.
The arrest comes weeks after Trump hosted a high-profile round of golf at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach alongside Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. College football coaching legends Urban Meyer and Nick Saban completed the foursome.
Trump and DeSantis have signaled improving relations since last summer, with Florida increasingly aligning itself with key priorities of the Trump administration.
Among those initiatives is the “Make America Healthy Again” effort led by the Department of Health and Human Services. DeSantis has embraced the agenda at the state level through the launch of “Healthy Florida First” in January, a program aimed at testing food products for contaminants.
Authorities have not indicated whether additional charges will be filed in connection with the altercation outside the golf course, but on Monday, Trump sent drinks and snacks to his supporters gathered outside his golf course.
