Donald Trump Just nine weeks after surviving another assassination attempt, the Republican presidential candidate was the target of a “possible assassination attempt” on Sunday at a golf club in West Palm Beach, Fla., the FBI said. The former president said he was safe and well, and authorities have taken one man into custody.
A U.S. Secret Service agent stationed a few holes away from where Trump was playing noticed the muzzle of an AK-style rifle protruding from among bushes along the course about 400 yards away.
When officers opened fire, the gunman dropped his rifle and fled in an SUV, leaving behind the gun, two backpacks, a targeting scope and a GoPro camera, Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw said. The man was later taken into custody in a neighboring county.
According to Martin County Sheriff William Snyder, he was calm, expressionless and showed little emotion when he was pulled over and did not ask questions about why he was being pulled over.
“He never asked, ‘What is this?’ Obviously there are officers with long rifles and blue lights and a lot going on. He never questioned it,” Snyder said.
It was the latest shocking moment in a campaign year filled with unprecedented turmoil. On July 13, Trump was shot during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The bullet grazed his earEight days later, Democratic President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, clearing the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to become the party’s nominee.
And new questions have been raised about the Secret Service’s protection after the agency acknowledged it failed to stop the attack. Assassination attempt This summer.
In an email to supporters, Trump said, “I heard gunfire near me, but before the rumors get out of control, I want you to hear this first: I am safe and well!,” and added, “Nothing will stop me. I will never surrender!”
Mr Trump has returned to his private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, according to a person familiar with Mr Trump’s activities who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about Mr Trump.
It is unclear at this time whether the incident will affect Trump’s campaign. Trump was scheduled to broadcast live about cryptocurrency from Florida on social media site X on Monday night to mark the launch of his sons’ cryptocurrency platform. He was scheduled to hold a town hall meeting with former press secretary and Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders in Flint, Michigan on Tuesday, and a rally in Long Island, New York on Wednesday.
“This is not something we take lightly. Your safety will always be our top priority. We urge you to continue to exercise caution in your daily travels to and from the office,” an email to Trump campaign staff and obtained by The Associated Press read.
“As we enter the final 50 days of President Trump’s campaign, we must remember that only by working together as one team can we save America from those who seek to destroy it.”
Biden and Harris have been briefed on the investigation and would be kept updated, and the White House said they were “relieved” to know Trump was safe.
“Violence has no place in America,” Harris said in the statement.
Biden echoed similar sentiments in his own statement, saying he had instructed his team to ensure the Secret Service “has all the resources, capabilities and safeguards necessary to ensure the ongoing security of the former President.”
Trump then reached out to allies, including vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and several Fox News hosts. House Speaker Mike Johnson spent the last few hours with Trump on Sunday night, describing him as “unstoppable.”
Fox News host Sean Hannity recounted a conversation he had with President Trump and Steve Witkoff, a golfing buddy of the former president.
The two men told Hannity that they were about to putt on the fifth hole when they heard a “pop, pop, pop” sound. Within seconds, Witkoff said, Secret Service agents “flew” on Trump and “covered up” to protect him.
Trump returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast tour that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a fundraiser in Utah. His campaign has not publicly announced plans for Trump on Sunday. Trump often spends his mornings golfing.
President Trump has beefed up security since the assassination attempt in July. When he is at Trump Tower in New York, parked dump trucks form a barrier around the building, and at outdoor rallies, he now speaks from behind bulletproof glass.
The Florida golf course was partially closed while Trump was playing, but there are some areas around the perimeter where golfers can see through the fence. When Trump is playing, Secret Service agents and police officers in golf carts and ATVs typically guard the area several holes in front of and behind Trump. Agents typically bring armored vehicles onto the course to provide quick protection for Trump if a threat arises.
The Palm Beach County sheriff said that if Trump were president, there would have been police presence throughout the golf course, but since he isn’t, “security is limited to areas deemed feasible by the Secret Service.”
“I think the next time he comes to the golf course there will probably be a few more people around,” Bradshaw said, “but the Secret Service did exactly what they were supposed to do. They provided exactly what they were supposed to provide and their agents did a great job.”
Former presidents and their spouses have lifelong Secret Service protection, but the security surrounding a former president varies depending on their level of threat and exposure, with the most stringent measures usually imposed immediately after leaving office.
Trump’s security is tighter than that of any other president due to his high profile and his campaign to return to the White House.
The man in custody is Ryan Routh, three law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The officials who identified the suspect spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.
Records show that Routh, 58, lived most of his life in North Carolina before moving to Hawaii in 2018. He posted on social media in support of Trump’s reelection in 2020 but has posted in recent years in support of Biden and Harris.
According to an interview with The New York Times last year, Routh tried to recruit Afghan soldiers who had fled the Taliban to fight in Ukraine, and spent several months in the country.
The FBI was leading the investigation and was working to determine a motive. Attorney General Merrick Garland received regular updates. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were assisting in the investigation.
“The FBI is responding to West Palm Beach, Florida, investigating what appears to be an assassination attempt on former President Trump,” the FBI said in a statement.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said his state would conduct its own investigation into the matter, posting on Twitter that “the public deserves to know the truth about the attempted assassin and how he managed to get within 500 yards of a former president and current Republican candidate.”
No reporters accompanied Trump on Sunday. In a departure from tradition, the Trump campaign has not arranged for an escort corps of reporters to accompany him, as is standard for major party candidates and presidents. Harris does not always have an escort corps of reporters, but she does allow reporters to accompany her to public events.
Martin County Sheriff Snyder said the suspect was arrested within minutes of the FBI, Secret Service and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office issuing a “very urgent BOLO” (“be on the lookout”) alert.
Snyder said his officers “immediately swarmed northbound I-95” and “one of my highway patrolmen located the vehicle, matched the license plate and deployed on the vehicle,” adding, “We subdued the vehicle, brought it to a safe stop and took the driver into custody.”
Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being continually updated with additional details by The Associated Press.
