WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. — The FBI said there “appears to have been an attempted assassination” of Donald Trump at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday. This happened just nine weeks after another attempt was made on Trump’s life. The ex-president said he was safe and sound, and police had a man in arrest.
A few holes up from where Trump was playing, U.S. Secret Service agents saw the barrel of an AK-style gun sticking out of the bushes that surround the course, which is about 400 yards away.
After being shot at by a police officer, the gunman dropped the rifle and drove off in an SUV, leaving the gun, two bags, an aiming scope, and a GoPro camera behind. Later, police in a neighbouring county caught up with the man.
It was the most shocking event in a campaign year that had seen more than any other. Trump was shot at a gathering in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. The bullet just missed his ear. Following eight days, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris became the party’s choice after Vice President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
It also raised new questions about the Secret Service’s security tactics after the agency admitted it failed to stop the attempted assassination this summer.
Sheriff William Snyder of Martin County said that the man who was arrested was calm and didn’t show much reaction when he was stopped.
“He never asked, ‘What’s this about?'” There were police with long guns, blue lights, and a lot going on. “He never asked about it,” Snyder said.
“There were gunshots in my area, but before rumours start spiralling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!” Trump wrote in an email to his followers. “Nothing will slow me down,” he wrote. “I will NEVER GIVE UP!”
A person who knows about Trump’s travels but wasn’t allowed to talk about them openly and asked to remain anonymous said that he went back to Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach where he lives.
At first, it wasn’t clear how the change would affect his routine or the way the campaign was run. Trump was going to talk live about cryptocurrency on the social media site X on Monday night from Florida. On Tuesday and Wednesday, he was going to make stops in Michigan and on Long Island, New York.
“Please be careful as you go about your daily business,” an email to Trump campaign workers that the AP got read said.
As the last 50 days of President Trump’s campaign begin, we must remember that we can only protect America from those who want to destroy it if we all work together.
Both Biden and Harris were told about it, and they both said in statements that they were against political violence. Harris also said that the events of the day had left her “deeply disturbed” and that “we all need to do our part to make sure this doesn’t lead to more violence.”
Biden said that he had told his staff to make sure that the Secret Service “has every resource, capability, and protective measure necessary to ensure the continued safety of the former President.”
After the election, Trump checked in with supporters like his running mate Sen. JD Vance, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and a number of Fox News hosts. Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House, said he spent a lot of time with Trump and that he was “unstoppable.”
Sean Hannity, a host on Fox News, talked about his chat with Steve Witkoff, the former president’s golf partner.
They were on the fifth hole and about to putt when they heard a “pop pop, pop pop.” Witkoff said that Secret Service agents “pounced” on Trump and “covered him” to protect him in a matter of seconds.
This past weekend, Trump came back to Florida from a trip to the West Coast that included a gathering in Las Vegas on Friday night and a fundraiser in Utah. On Sunday, his campaign had not made any formal plans for Trump. He often plays golf in the morning.
Since the July attempt on his life, Trump has had more security around him. Dump trucks parked outside of Trump Tower in New York have made a wall for him when he is there. He now talks at gatherings outside from behind bulletproof glass.
Trump played on a part of the Florida golf course that was closed to the public, but players can be seen from the fence line in a few places around the property’s edges. A lot of the time, Secret Service agents and cops on golf carts and ATVs patrol the area a few holes in front of and behind Trump. Also, agents usually bring an armoured car onto the course so that Trump can be quickly protected if there is a threat.
If Trump were president, the Palm Beach County sheriff said, the whole golf course would be surrounded by police. But since he isn’t, “security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible,” he said.
Bradshaw said, “I think there will be a few more people around the outside of the golf course the next time he comes.” That being said, the Secret Service did the right thing.
Trump thanked the Secret Service and police for keeping him safe in a social media post late Sunday night. He called them “brave and dedicated Patriots” and said it had been “certainly an interesting day!”
A person who knew about the plan but wasn’t allowed to speak publicly said that he would be briefed in person by acting Secret Service head Ronald Rowe about the investigation into the attempt on his life on Monday.
Former presidents and their wives are protected by the Secret Service for life. However, the level of security around former presidents changes based on the danger and their level of exposure. Usually, the strictest measures are taken right after they leave office.
Because Trump is so well-known and wants to run for president again, he has had a bigger protective detail than some other past presidents.
Three police officers told the AP that the person in arrest was Ryan Routh. The officials who identified the suspect spoke on the condition that they not be named because they were not allowed to talk about the investigation that was still going on.
Records show He moved to Hawaii in 2018 after living in North Carolina for most of his life. Routh is 58 years old. He wrote on social media in 2020 that he thought Trump should be re-elected. But in more recent years, he has written that he thinks Biden and Harris should be elected.
According to an interview with The New York Times last year, Routh spent several months in Ukraine and tried to get Afghan troops who were running away from the Taliban to join him to fight there.
The FBI was in charge of the investigation and trying to figure out what the reason was. Merrick Garland, who was Attorney General, was getting daily updates. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives sent agents to help with the investigation.
The FBI went to West Palm Beach, Florida, and is looking into what they think was an attempt to kill former President Trump, the office said.
A Republican named Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that the state would do its own probe. He wrote on X, “The people deserve the truth about the would-be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee.”
On Sunday, news media were not with Trump. Trump’s campaign has not planned for a group of reporters to travel with him to protect him, as is customary for major party nominees and the president. Harris does not always have a safety net, but she does let media go with her to public events.
In Martin County, Snyder said the suspect was caught just minutes after the FBI, Secret Service, and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office sent out a “very urgent BOLO” (be on the lookout) warning.
“We pinched in on the car, got it safely stopped, and got the driver in custody,” Snyder said of his officers who were sent to northbound I-95.
