Pinned
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday met with Martin County Sheriff’s deputies involved in the arrest of Ryan Wesley Routh and expressed his gratitude for their work.
The officers identified Routh’s black Nissan on the I-19 and took him into custody less than 50 minutes after Routh fled the scene at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach.
In a video posted on X, Trump shakes the hands of the deputies gathered in a room at Mar-a-Lago, and praises their work.
WASHINGTON—The White House said that Vice President Kamala Harris reached out to former President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
"Vice President Harris called former President Trump this afternoon to speak with him directly to express that she is grateful he is safe,” a White House official said.
“It was a cordial and brief conversation."
WASHINGTON—The White House on Tuesday afternoon responded to former president Donald Trump’s recent comments on Fox News Digital. Trump, in an interview on Monday, blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris’s "rhetoric" for the latest apparent assassination attempt.
"The president and the vice president have always forcefully, forcefully condemned violence in all forms, including political violence,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a briefing.
“And we certainly have never encouraged any violence in any way.”
As the investigation continues into what is suspected to be the second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in as many months, the Republican presidential nominee is pushing ahead with his campaign schedule.
Trump will head to Flint, Michigan, on Tuesday for his first campaign event since the latest incident, which occurred in West Palm Beach on Sunday. The Michigan town hall will take place at 7 p.m. ET at the Dort Financial Center and will be hosted by Trump’s former White House press secretary, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Vice President Kamala Harris is also pressing on with her campaign. The Democratic nominee is slated to do an interview in Philadelphia with the National Association of Black Journalists. The interview will be livestreamed at 2:30 p.m. ET via the group’s social media channels.
PALM BEACH, Fla.—Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he has talked to former President Donald Trump since the second apparent assassination attempt.
“He was in good spirits. He did remark that on that sixth hole, I think, he was in pretty good shape for potential birdie,” DeSantis said. “And if you know the former president, that matters a lot to him when you're talking about this.”
Trump was golfing at Trump International Golf Club when a Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of a rifle through a fence surrounding the golf club. The agent fired at the suspect, Ryan Routh, who fled the scene but was captured shortly thereafter.
PALM BEACH, Fla.—Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that he will be signing an executive order to assign the case of the second assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.
DeSantis noted that Moody has jurisdiction of the case given that the suspect, Ryan Routh, committed offenses across multiple counties.
“Also the state of Florida has jurisdiction over the most serious, straightforward offense, which is attempted murder,” he said.
Steven Witkoff said on X Spaces that he felt “blessed” to have been out on the golf course with former President Donald Trump during the second assassination attempt.
“I got to see what he has to live his daily life like,” he said. “Two assassination attempts in the last two months. He’s been vilified. He ought to be commended for his four years of public service as a president.”
Witkoff praised the former president as being courageous and for asking about his friends first during the event.
Former President Donald Trump credited the civilian who took a photo of Ryan Routh’s vehicle—as he was fleeing the scene of his apparent attempted assassination of Trump—with the capture of the suspect.
As Trump was golfing at Trump International Golf Club on Sunday, Routh had allegedly taken up a position along the club’s perimeter fence using a scoped SKS-style rifle. Around 1:30 p.m. ET, a Secret Service agent patrolling the area noticed the barrel of the rifle, and immediately opened fire, authorities said.
At that point, Routh allegedly fled the scene, but not before photos of his vehicle were captured by a civilian in the area.
Former President Donald Trump recounted his personal experience during an apparent assassination attempt Sunday in his first public interview since the incident.
“So I was playing golf with some of my friends, it was on a Sunday morning, very peaceful, very beautiful weather. Everything was beautiful, nice place to be, and all of a sudden we heard shots being fired in the air, and I guess probably four or five, and it sounded like bullets,” Trump said during a conversation on X Spaces about cryptocurrency.
“The Secret Service knew immediately it was bullets, and they grabbed me,” Trump said.
Former President Donald Trump began a livestream discussion on X Monday night by talking about the second assassination attempt on his life.
“It was quite something,” Trump said from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. “But it worked out well and Secret Service did an excellent job, and they have the man behind bars and hopefully he’s going to be there for a long time.”
Trump called the suspected would-be assassin a “very, very dangerous person.”
Two failed attempts to assassinate former President Donald Trump in just more than two months have exposed apparent holes in the shield that is supposed to protect him. Now, leaders from both major political parties are calling for tighter security as Trump continues his presidential campaign.
Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), who heads a bipartisan task force probing the July 13 Pennsylvania assassination attempt that wounded Trump, said the Sept. 15 attempt in Florida underscores his concerns.
“This should be a wake-up call to America about just how dangerous ... things are right now” for the nation’s top political leaders, Kelly told The Epoch Times in a Sept. 16 interview.
The White House said that President Joe Biden spoke with former President Donald Trump on Monday, following an earlier unsuccessful attempt by the president to connect with Trump.
“President Biden just spoke with former President Trump and conveyed his relief that he is safe,” a White House official said.
“The two shared a cordial conversation, and former President Trump expressed his thanks for the call.”
During a press conference on Monday, law enforcement officials said that they’re looking into the details of social media posts by Ryan Routh, the suspect in an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
“The subject had an active online presence, and we are going through what he posted and any searches he conducted online,” said FBI Miami Field Office special agent in charge Jeffrey Veltri.
Veltri also referenced a New York Times article that mentions Routh, who at the time was attempting to recruit and transport NATO-trained Afghanis in Pakistan and Iran into Ukraine.
The FBI said the second apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump is “extremely serious,” said special agent Jeffrey Veltri, who leads the bureau’s office in Miami.
“We view this as extremely serious, and are determined to provide answers as to what went up to the events which took place,” Veltri said at a press conference.
The FBI is “determined to provide answers as to what led up to the events which took place,” he said.
Reporters questioned President Joe Biden upon his return to the White House from Delaware on Monday afternoon, asking if he had contacted former President Donald Trump following an apparent second assassination attempt against him in Florida.
Biden appeared to respond: “I called him, but he wasn’t available. I’m going to try again later.”
The White House later clarified the president’s response to reporters, stating, "Yes. They did not connect, but he called."
There is “not much difference” in security at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate between 2017 when he became president, and now, according to Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe.
Rowe said there is a “heavy uniformed presence” and “additional assets of the Secret Service” at the Florida property.
“When you look at that footprint … there's not much difference there,” he said, making a comparison to 2017.
The FBI is “still exploring” whether or not Ryan Routh, the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump acted alone, or if he was part of a larger plot.
“Our investigation will determine that,” said FBI Miami Field Office special agent in charge Jeffrey Veltri.
So far, it appears that Routh wasn't working with others, Veltri indicated, but emphasized that the investigation is ongoing.
The Secret Service has been having discussions with Congress and is confident that the agency will get the resources it needs, said the agency’s acting director, Ronald Rowe, at a press conference.
Rowe said the agency is requesting funding from Congress to train counter snipers.
Rowe also said that the agency needs the funding to hire more personnel.
Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe said he doesn't have information on whether the suspect in the apparent attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump knew that the former president would be golfing on Sunday.
The acting director said Trump’s golfing trip was an “off-the-record movement” not on his official schedule, and that “the president wasn't even really supposed to go there.”
“And so we put together a security plan, and that security plan worked,” Rowe said.
The Secret Service had increased assets after the July 13 attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump—an accommodation at President Joe Biden’s direction.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe commended Secret Service agents and local enforcement for preventing Ryan Wesley Routh from firing his weapon on Sunday.
“The [Secret Service] agent's hyper vigilance and the detailed swift action was textbook,” Rowe said.
Suspect Ryan Wesley Routh did not have a line of sight to former President Donald Trump at Trump International Golf Club in Florida, according to Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe.
The suspect also did not fire his weapon, said Rowe.
A Secret Service agent who was patrolling the golf course perimeter ahead of Trump spotted the barrel of Routh’s gun and fired at him. Routh escaped but was captured later while driving on the highway.
The FBI received a tip about the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in 2019, special agent in charge Jeffrey Veltri said during a press conference Monday.
Veltri said an individual tipped the FBI that Routh, a convicted felon, was illegally in possession of a firearm.
However, when the FBI followed up on the complaint, Veltri said, the complainant “did not verify” that he or she had furnished the initial information.
Federal law enforcement has been executing search warrants and conducting interviews related to Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect behind the apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, according to FBI special agent Jeffrey Veltri, who leads the bureau’s Miami office.
The FBI offices in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Charlotte, North Carolina, have been interviewing “several family members, friends and former colleagues” of Routh, said Veltri. He said the bureau has been collecting evidence and taking DNA samples from interviewees.
The FBI “will also process the subject's vehicle for evidence,” said Veltri.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said that Sunday's apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump is a “moment of soul searching for all Americans.”
“It's a time to reflect on the ways that our political process has been injected by reprehensible violence,” McConnell said on the Senate floor Monday.
“In America, our democracy flows from the ballot box, not from the barrel of a gun, period.”
Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said that former President Donald Trump has invited the officers who assisted in the arrest of Ryan Wesley Routh to Mar-a-Lago.
Routh, the suspect in an apparent assassination attempt, was apprehended on the northern stretch of I-95 running through Martin County after he fled from Trump International Golf Club, where he had set up two bags, a digital camera, and an SKS-style rifle with an attached scope.
“I just thank God we found that car and we're able to give … former President Trump peace of mind,” Snyder said.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that it is possible the Secret Service could get additional funding in light of the second attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
“Congress has a responsibility to ensure the Secret Service and all law enforcement have the resources they need to do their jobs,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Monday.
“So as we continue the appropriations process, if the Secret Service is in need of more resources, we are prepared to provide it for them, possibly in the upcoming funding agreement," he said.
Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said authorities investigating the failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump are “laser-focused” on determining if the suspect acted alone, or if he was part of a larger conspiracy.
The suspect, identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, was taken into custody within hours of the apparent assassination attempt. Officials believe that Routh didn’t let off any rounds at Trump before being identified by a Secret Service agent, taking fire, and fleeing.
Snyder said that questions linger about why Routh, who is not from the area, was there in the first place.
During a press conference the day following an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Florida, Martin County Sheriff William Synder shared details of the suspect’s arrest.
The suspect, who has been identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, is alleged to have taken a position along the perimeter fence of Trump International Golf Club, where he set up two bags and an SKS-style rifle with an attached scope.
According to officials, Routh didn’t let off any rounds before he was noticed and shot at by a Secret Service agent around 1:30 p.m. ET. At that point, Routh fled the scene, but not before a witness photographed his vehicle and license plate.
Two federal gun charges have been filed against the man suspected of plotting to assassinate former President Donald Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, faces the felony charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, according to unsealed court documents.
The first charge carries a maximum penalty of $250,000 in fines, 15 years in prison, and three years of supervised release. The second charge carries a possible five-year sentence, $250,000 in fines, and three years of supervised release.
There will be a “small army” of law enforcement personnel to protect former President Donald Trump during his Sept. 18 rally in Long Island, New York, said Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman at a press conference Monday.
“We feel very confident that we will have the assets necessary to make sure that this is safe for everyone,” he said.
“This will be the safest place in the country on that day,” said Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder.
President Joe Biden decried the apparent second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, saying that political violence “solves nothing.”
“America has suffered too many times the tragedy of an assassin’s bullet,” Biden said during a Monday speech at an unrelated event. “It solves nothing. It just tears the country apart. We must do everything we can to prevent it and never give it any oxygen.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Monday that the Department of Justice will “work tirelessly to ensure accountability” and “bring every available resource to bear" in its investigation into the second assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump.
“We are grateful that the former president is safe,” Garland said in an emailed statement.
The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, has been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession and receipt of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. The former carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, while the latter carries a penalty of up to 5 years. Routh made his first court appearance on Sept. 16 to hear the charges and did not enter a plea.
Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect behind the apparent second assassination attempt against Trump had a criminal history—all in Guilford County, North Carolina, according to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.
Routh was convicted in December 2002 of possessing a weapon of mass destruction, a felony.
In January 2003, he was convicted of several misdemeanor vehicular offenses including driving with a revoked license, carrying a concealed weapon, hit and run, and resisting an officer. In March 2010, he was convicted of possessing stolen goods, a felony. The following July, he was convicted of a misdemeanor charge of possessing stolen goods.
Steve Witkoff, former President Donald Trump’s golfing partner, who was with him on Sunday when the apparent second assassination attempt took place, said that the day is one “I will never forget.”
“I watched my very close friend @realDonaldTrump be his typical strong, courageous and stoic self, concerned about his friends first before thinking of himself,” Witkoff wrote on X. “That is the truest example of leadership.”
Witkoff thanked the Secret Service for preventing “a much more terrible result.”
The Martin County Sheriff's Office has released body camera footage of officers arresting Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect behind the second assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on Sunday.
An officer can be seen repeatedly shouting at Routh, “Take two steps to your right.” He also told Routh to “walk straight back” and to “keep walking.”
Routh was charged on Monday morning in federal court with two federal counts—possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
He told the court that he has a 25-year-old son, has no assets, besides trucks in Hawaii worth around $1,000, and makes about $3,000 per month.
Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), who heads a bipartisan task force investigating the first attempt to kill former President Donald Trump, said his group likely will add the second attempted assassination to its work.
In an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times on Sept. 16, Kelly said: “I think that we're probably going to merge the two events with the task force, one being a very public event, the other being a very private event.”
The first attempted assassination, which wounded the former president and two others and left one attendee dead, occurred at a well-publicized rally on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania; in contrast, the Sept. 15 incident, which resulted in no injuries, happened while Trump was golfing at his members-only club.
Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect behind the second assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, was pulled over 48 minutes after he fled the scene at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on Sunday, according to the criminal complaint.
A Secret Service agent noticed the barrel of a rifle pointed at the golf course through the boundary fence and opened fire. Routh did not fire any shots, officials said.
The Martin County Sheriff's Office pulled over Routh on the I-95. He was driving a black Nissan, which had been reported stolen, according to the complaint.
Local and federal authorities will give an update on the investigation into the second apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a press conference at 4 p.m. ET from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in West Palm Beach.
The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, has been charged with two federal gun crimes and briefly appeared in court earlier Monday. He did not enter a plea.
The criminal complaint against Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect behind the second assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, has been released.
Routh was in the vicinity of Trump International Golf Club, where Trump went golfing, between approximately 1:59 a.m. to 1:31 p.m. ET, according to the complaint. Routh allegedly pointed his gun through the fence surrounding the members-only club while Trump was playing golf; a Secret Service agent saw the barrel and fired at Routh, who fled the scene but was captured soon thereafter.
A digital camera, two bags, a loaded "SKS-style 7.62x39 caliber rifle" with a scope, and a plastic bag containing food were recovered at the scene, according to the affidavit. The serial number on the rifle was “obliterated” and “unreadable to the naked eye,” it said.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) announced that he will put forth legislation that would enable better security for former President Donald Trump following the second assassination attempt against him—an incident Scott called “unacceptable and sickening.”
“I’m working on a bill to increase Secret Service protections to the same level as POTUS & VP. We cannot let this happen again,” Scott posted on X.
West Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said that the perimeter surrounding Trump International Golf Club, where Trump was golfing, was not secured because Trump is not the sitting president and that the Secret Service can only provide limited coverage.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Monday he has yet to talk to former President Donald Trump following the second attempted assassination against the GOP presidential nominee.
DeSantis, who reiterated there will be a state probe about the incident, said that federal authorities investigating the matter “may not be the best thing.”
“I understand that the feds are involved but we do believe that there were multiple violations of state law. We also believe that there is a need to make sure that the truth about all this comes out in a way that is credible,” he said at a press conference.
Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect behind the second assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, has been charged with federal gun crimes.
Routh, 58, appeared in federal court for eight minutes and was informed of the charges: possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Those charges together carry a maximum of 20 years in prison, with the latter charge being the most serious and carrying a penalty of up to 15 years behind bars.
Routh told Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe he makes about $3,000 per month and has no savings or assets. He said he owns two trucks in Hawaii that are worth about $1,000. He said he sometimes supports his 25-year-old son.
Speaking with Fox News Digital on Monday morning, former President Donald Trump said Ryan Wesley Routh, the man suspected of trying to assassinate him on Sunday, was influenced by Democrat leaders’ past statements.
“He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it,” Trump said. “Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at.”
Trump cited past comments the two leaders had made, calling Trump a “threat to democracy.
The FBI is investigating an apparent assassination on former President Donald Trump while he was playing golf at his golf course in Florida on Sept. 15. The incident occurred two months after the former president survived another attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The suspect, armed with an SKS-style rifle, has been identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii. He appeared in a Florida court on Sept. 16. Prosecutors have charged him with two federal gun crimes: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Trump is safe and has thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement for protecting him.
Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect behind the second assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, has entered the court wearing dark blue jail scrubs. His arms and legs were shackled.
He did not look nervous while waiting for his hearing.
Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe will preside over the hearing, Shanda Walker, courtroom deputy for the magistrate judge section, told The Epoch Times.
Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect behind the second assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, will be making his initial court appearance at 10 a.m. ET at the Paul G. Rogers Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in West Palm Beach, Shanda Walker, courtroom deputy for the magistrate judge section, told The Epoch Times.
He will appear before Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe, she said.
The charges against Routh will be announced during the court appearance. On Sunday, Dave Aronberg, state attorney for Florida's Palm Beach County, says that his prosecutors are working on charging the suspect with state-level crimes, but said that federal charges are also possible.
The suspected would-be assassin of former President Donald Trump has been identified by officials as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58.
Few details have been verified about Routh, including a motive.
According to the official account so far, Routh allegedly took a position along the perimeter fence at the Trump International Golf Course at West Palm Beach, where he set up with an AK-47 style rifle, a GoPro, and two nondescript bags.
The suspect did not fire shots at the Trump International Golf Club, where former President Donald Trump was golfing Sunday, according to West Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
“He did not get off any rounds, and that was because the U.S. Secret Service agent acted so quickly,” Bradshaw told Fox News, referring to the suspect, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh.
“At the end of the day, the system worked,” he said.
Former President Donald Trump wrote to express his thanks to law enforcement and the Secret Service for their response to what the FBI said was an attempted assassination at his Florida golf course a day earlier.
In the incident, a Secret Service agent engaged with the suspect after discovering a rifle muzzle sticking through a fence at the Trump International Golf Course while the former president was golfing, the Palm Beach County sheriff told a news conference Sunday.
President Joe Biden said on Monday that the Secret Service needs more personnel after a probable assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump a day earlier.
Speaking to reporters in the morning, Biden said he did not yet have a full report of the Sunday attempt at Trump’s Florida golf course and that he was thankful the former president was fine.
“Thank God the president is OK,” he said, referring to Trump.
President Joe Biden issued a statement on Sunday evening, condemning the possible second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump while he was golfing at his club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Biden confirmed that he had been briefed about the incident and he commended the work of the Secret Service and law enforcement officers.
“I am relieved that the former President is unharmed. There is an active investigation into this incident as law enforcement gathers more details about what happened,” Biden said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Sunday evening that the state of Florida would be conducting an investigation into the failed attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life.
“The State of Florida will be conducting its own investigation regarding the attempted assassination at Trump International Golf Club,” DeSantis said in a post 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.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he and his wife met with former President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago after the attempted assassination, adding that no American leader “has endured more attacks” than Trump.
“Kelly and I are departing Mar-a-Lago, where we just spent a few hours with President Trump and are thanking God for protecting him today—once again,” Johnson said in a post on X, attaching a photo of himself, his wife Kelly, and Trump.
It’s unclear whether the visit had been planned in advance or if Johnson came in response to the incident.
A bipartisan House task force investigating the first assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has requested a briefing from the Secret Service in the wake of the second attempt, the panel announced Sunday.
"The Task Force is monitoring this attempted assassination of former President Trump in West Palm Beach this afternoon. We have requested a briefing with the U.S. Secret Service about what happened and how security responded,” Chairman Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Ranking Member Jason Crow (D-Colo.) said in a joint statement.
“We are thankful that the former President was not harmed, but remain deeply concerned about political violence and condemn it in all of its forms. The Task Force will share updates as we learn more."
Fox News host Sean Hannity said that Secret Service agents “pounced” into action after hearing gunshots at former President Donald Trump’s Palm Beach golf course.
Hannity said he spoke to Trump, as well as Trump’s golf partner, Steve Witkoff, after the attempted assassination, which took place around 1:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday.
The two men told Hannity that they were on the fifth hole and were about to putt, when they heard a series of “pops” nearby.
Former President Donald Trump said in a fundraising email Sunday that his “resolve is only stronger” in the wake of a second attempted assassination, this time in Palm Beach, Florida.
“My resolve is only stronger after another attempt on my life,” he wrote.
Trump's campaign website redirects users to WinRed, the GOP fundraising arm, and a message reading, “I am safe and well, and no one was hurt. Thank God! But, there are people in this world who will do whatever it takes to stop us.”
The first official photos from the scene of a suspected second attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life have been released by officials.
The photos show two nondescript bags and a GoPro camera hanging on a fence, indicating that the suspect intended to film the attack, according to Sheriff Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. It also shows an AK-47-style rifle leaning on the fence.
Top Democrats condemned what appears to be a second attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life in public statements.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Sunday evening said he had been briefed on the incident, and expressed gratitude to law enforcement.
“I was just briefed by the Acting Director of the Secret Service,” Schumer said in a post on X. “I applaud the Secret Service for their quick response to ensure former President Trump’s safety.”
Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw said that the Secret Service “did exactly what they should have done” ahead of and following a second attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life at his south Florida golf course.
In a press conference following the incident, Bradshaw said that Trump has fewer Secret Service agents protecting him than a sitting president.
Because he’s not president, “security is limited to the areas that the areas that the Secret Service deems possible,” Bradshaw said.
Dave Aronberg, state attorney for Florida's Palm Beach County, says that his prosecutors are working on charging the would-be assassin of former President Donald Trump with state-level crimes, but said that federal charges are also possible.
Currently, Aronberg said, prosecutors in his office are working on crafting an application for warrants and pretrial detention of the suspect, who hasn’t yet been officially identified by authorities.
“Our filing of the warrant and charges at the state level does not preclude the federal charges that could be coming,” Aronberg said. “But in the meantime, it looks like the warrants and a pretrial detention motion will happen first.”
- At around 1:30 p.m. ET, while former President Donald Trump was golfing at the Trump International Golf Course at West Palm Beach, the Secret Service opened fire at a man hidden in bushes surrounding the golf course who had a rifle pointed toward the course, authorities say.
- Trump and his campaign have confirmed he is unharmed. “I am safe and well!” Trump wrote in all caps in a social media post after the incident.
Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle condemned the news of a suspected second attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life on Sunday, calling for peace and expressing opposition to political violence.
In a campaign email after the incident, many details of which remain unknown, Trump confirmed he was safe.
“There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I am safe and well! Nothing will slow me down. I will never surrender! I will always love you for supporting me. Unity. Peace. Make America Great Again. May God bless you, Donald Trump,” the email read, some in all caps.
FBI Says Trump Was Target of Apparent 2nd Assassination Attempt
The FBI said on Sunday that former President Donald Trump was targeted in a suspected second assassination attempt in as many months after his campaign confirmed that shots were reported in his vicinity.“The FBI has responded to West Palm Beach Florida and is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump,” the FBI told The Epoch Times in a statement.
A representative of U.S. Secret Service told a news conference Sunday that a Secret Service personnel opened fire on a suspected gunman “located near the property line,” adding it’s under investigation, while the Palm Beach sheriff said that officials recovered an AK-47-style rifle with a scope, two backpacks that had “ceramic tile” inside, and a GoPro camera.
A Secret Service agent that is stationed near of Trump while he was golfing “was able to spot this rifle barrel” and “immediately [engaged] that individual, at which time the individual took off,” Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told the news conference.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office in Florida said it has taken a suspect into custody that is believed to be connected to reports of shots fired in the vicinity of Trump. The identity of the individual has not been disclosed.
The sheriff’s office and Martin County Sheriff William Snyder confirmed that a section of Interstate 95 was shut down, confirming to reporters that a suspect in connection to the Trump International Golf Course incident was detained. The individual, who was not identified, “was relatively calm” during the arrest, he said.
He added that law enforcement also discovered an AK-47 rifle, describing it as a “very serious incident.”
Federal law enforcement officials are on the scene, Snyder said.
A portion of Interstate 96 near State Route 74 was shut down, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post. “We will update this information as it becomes available,” the post said.
The former president’s campaign said in a statement earlier Sunday that he is safe, which was later echoed by the U.S. Secret Service. No injures were reported, law enforcement officials said.
The U.S. Secret Service said it was investigating and that the incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. “The former president is safe,” it said.
Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast swing that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser. As of press time, he has not issued a statement on the matter on his social media website, Truth Social.
An email sent out by Trump said that he is “safe and well” after the reports of shots being fired.
“There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!” he said. “Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me.”
The White House said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, had both been briefed and would be kept updated on the investigation. The White House said they were “relieved to know Trump is safe.”
The incident occurred roughly two months after an assassination attempt on Trump’s life at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.