Protecting Trump in a second administration presents unprecedented security challenges

CNN —

As Donald Trump conducts a free-wheeling transition from his Mar-a-Lago estate, drawing flocks of business moguls, contractors, foreign dignitaries and anyone looking for jobs in the new administration, the federal agencies charged with protecting the president-elect and his communications face a daunting task.

Security at Mar-a-Lago has already ramped up since the election. The Secret Service has increased its footprint around the residence and private club, and now deploys robot dogs capable of surveillance and detecting explosive material. Meanwhile, the US Coast Guard patrols the nearby waterways.

But with no restrictions on who Mar-a-Lago club members can bring as guests, the chaotic scene presents a uniquecounterintelligence and security challenge that sources told CNN is almost impossible to fully prepare for.

Trump enters his second term as president facing an unprecedented combination of targeted cyber and physical threats. China has tried to hack the communications of Trump and his inner circle. Iran has allegedly tried to kill him. And during the campaign, Trump survived two separate assassination attempts.

Unwelcome guests have been a security issue before at Mar-a-Lago. Since July, a Chinese national has been arrested multiple times for trying to get onto the property. Yet sources told CNN that there’s only so much they can do to ratchet up security there.

“We can’t put him in a bubble,” one Secret Service official told CNN, adding that “everyone’s waiting” to see what the coming presidency will look like and what security challenges lay ahead.

A boat holding a campaign flag is seen near Mar-a-Lago, the residence of US president-elect Donald Trump on November 8 in Palm Beach, Florida.

Holden