An F-16 fighter jet was forced to intercept a civilian plane over Geneva, Ohio, as President Donald Trump attended the Patriot Games, the second such incident in a week.
North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement its jet had fired flares to catch the attention of the pilot, who had violated temporary flight restrictions imposed on the area, before escorting the plane to safety Tuesday.
The incident occurred at approximately 6:15 p.m. ET, shortly after the president had arrived at Spire Academy in Ashtabula County to see the conclusion of the White House-organized youth athletic competition, an event that was immediately compared to the dystopian Hunger Games franchise when it was first announced.
NORAD’s forced intervention came just days after it was compelled to do the same when at least three planes crossed over Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, while the president was at the site, his trip coinciding with the venue’s staging of the four-day LIV Golf New York championship.
TFR violations also occurred at the FIFA World Cup Final in New Jersey last month, which likewise caused the command to send out jets on three occasions to shepherd 10 planes away from the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.
The Independent has reached out to NORAD for further comment.
The three-day Patriot Games was organized by the Trump-aligned Freedom 250 committee as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
The president entered the hosting school’s arena Tuesday in a hail of sparklers alongside ESPN’s Pat McAfee as he led out a group of competitors who had battled against delegates from all 50 states and various U.S. territories and tribal nations to make it to the finale.
He later gave a brief interview to the sports broadcasting network in which he praised the national pride of the participants.
Trump also did his “YMCA” shimmy at the close as the winners celebrated receiving their medals and $125,000 checks – bearing his familiar signature – in a rain of confetti.
The organizers – who were also behind this summer’s poorly-attended Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. – were reportedly so worried about turnout they had “bombarded” people with emails in advance urging them to attend.
The event’s ticketing website was still open for business on the morning before the finale was due to take place.
The games themselves were also marked by controversy after some of the athletes taking part told The Washington Post they were unnerved to see that the majority of those chosen to compete were white.
“It’s a little startling,” one participant said. “This is supposed to be the best high school athletes… It just feels a little concerning not to see very many different types of people.”
