Wiggling kid defeats White House fence, is gently retrieved

Secret Service agents intercepted a tiny intruder on the White House grounds on Wednesday evening. The small child squeezed through a fence on the north side of the complex around 6:30 p.m., Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.

A social media video showed armed officers carrying the child back toward his or her parents.

How tough is the fence? The White House fence was doubled in height several years ago to 13 feet, but the revamp also increased the space between its pickets. The 5½ inch gap is wide enough for some children to get through.

Was the president home? The incident occurred about an hour after President Donald Trump announced new auto tariffs from the White House.

Have children entered fenced areas of the White House grounds before? A toddler snuck into the complex through the north fence in 2023. In that case as well, Secret Service reunited the child and his parents.