What We Know About Second Trump Assassination Attempt

Former president and current presidential contender Donald Trump speaks at Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., on Sept. 13, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

The FBI said it is investigating a second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at his Florida golf course that prompted Secret Service agents to fire shots.

The incident comes just two months after the former president and GOP presidential nominee narrowly survived an attempt on his life at a Pennsylvania rally.

FBI Says It’s an Apparent Assassination Attempt

“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 Sunday.

The Secret Service and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office are conducting an investigation into the incident.

Jeffrey Veltri, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Miami field office, told a Sunday conference that the agency wants the public’s help by providing tips to aid in the investigation.

Veltri also suggested the public should avoid the area around the Trump golf course during their investigation.

Trump Is Unharmed

The Trump campaign, Trump himself, and his running mate JD Vance have confirmed that he was unharmed.

“I AM SAFE AND WELL. Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!” Trump wrote in an emailed statement.

Vance, a Republican Ohio senator, told reporters that he spoke with Trump on Sunday, saying he is in “good spirits.”

Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wrote on X that he met with Trump following what the FBI said was an assassination attempt. He included a photo of Trump at Mar-a-Lago, located a few miles from the golf course.

“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,” the Louisiana Republican wrote. “No leader in American history has endured more attacks and remained so strong and resilient. He is unstoppable.”

AK-Style Gun Involved

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told a news conference on Sunday evening that an AK-47-style rifle was involved. Photos of the weapon were displayed during the press conference, showing it resting upright between two black backpacks and a GoPro camera.

In one photo, the rifle is seen sticking through a chain-link fence that officials say was on the outer perimeter of the Trump International Golf Course.

Bradshaw said that the suspect was approximately 400 to 500 yards from the former president and was positioned at the fourth or fifth hole of the course. Trump was one hole away from the suspect, he added, noting that a Secret Service agent was sent ahead of the former president.

That agent spotted the gun barrel and engaged with the suspect, prompting him to flee, the sheriff said.

Reports About Suspect Emerge

Purported law enforcement sources told The Associated Press, Fox News, and multiple other outlets that the suspect was identified in the case.

Marion County William Snyder told reporters that when the suspect—who has not been officially named as of Sunday evening—was detained, he was calm and asked no questions about why.

The state attorney for Palm Beach County, David Aronberg, told a news conference that the suspect will be charged at the state level but federal charges are also likely.

Prosecutors are working on a warrant and detention applications.

“Our filing of the warrant and charges at the state level does not preclude the federal charges that could be coming,” he said. “But in the meantime, it looks like the warrants and a pretrial detention motion will happen first.”

Members of FBI, Sheriff Department and Secret Service at the crime scene outside the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Sept. 15, 2024, following an apparent assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

White House, Harris Campaign Respond

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s nominee for president, both said they were briefed on the matter.

In a lengthy statement later Sunday, Biden said he is “relieved” that Trump was not harmed, adding that he commends “the work of the Secret Service and their law enforcement partners for their vigilance and their efforts to keep the former President and those around him safe.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, also said that he and his wife, Gwen, are “glad” to hear Trump is safe. “Violence has no place in our country,” he added in a post on X. “It’s not who we are as a nation.”

DeSantis Orders Independent Investigation

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, wrote on social media that his office will conduct an independent investigation into the matter.

“The State of Florida will be conducting its own investigation regarding the attempted assassination at Trump International Golf Club,” DeSantis, a Republican, said in a social media statement. “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.”

Sheriff Says Security Limited at Golf Course

Also in Sunday’s news conference, Bradshaw said the entire golf course would have been lined with law enforcement if Trump was the sitting president, but because he’s not, “security is limited to the areas that the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.”

“I would imagine that the next time he comes to the golf course, there will probably be a little more people around the perimeter,” Bradshaw said. “But the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done, they provided exactly what the protection should have been and their agent did a fantastic job.”