Former President Donald Trump is safe after what the FBI is calling an apparent second assassination attempt unfolded on Sunday at his Florida golf club in West Palm Beach.
Trump’s campaign confirmed the incident shortly after reports surfaced, stating that the former Commander-in-Chief was “safe following gunshots in his vicinity.”
Multiple state and federal law enforcement agencies later confirmed that the U.S. Secret Service had opened fire on a gunman who was positioned with a line of sight that would have potentially allowed for an open shot on the former president.
At a press conference following the incident, the Sheriff of Palm Beach County, Ric Bradshaw, revealed an image of what he said was the would-be assassins position when he was discovered by the U.S. Secret Service.
A scoped AK-style rifle was found at the scene, according to Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
“The suspect was well-hidden in the shrubbery and had a clear line of sight to the golf course. With a rifle and scope like that, the distance would not have been an issue,” Bradshaw said.
The alleged gunman, identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh from Hawaii, was arrested following a tense standoff.
[RELATED: What We Know About Ryan Wesley Routh, 2nd Would-Be Trump Assassin…]
Routh’s apparent sniper’s nest was located 400 to 500 yards from the course’s fifth and sixth holes, where Trump was playing.
The FBI, which is leading the investigation, classified the incident as an attempted assassination of the Republican presidential nominee, marking the second such attempt in just over two months.
The previous attempt occurred on July 13 — just 64 days ago — during a rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania.
Trump was struck in the ear by gunfire but was otherwise uninjured. In that case, the alleged shooter, Thomas Crooks, was quickly killed — although the investigation into Crooks has revealed little information about him and stoked considerable controversy.
According to Bradshaw, the shooter had rigged a GoPro camera to the chain-link fence seen in the photograph as part of an apparent attempt to video record his planned shooting of the former president.
Secret Service agents, who were patrolling ahead of Trump on the course, spotted the barrel of the rifle poking through the fence and immediately opened fire.
Routh managed to flee the scene in a black Nissan SUV, but was apprehended on I-95 after witnesses provided a description of his vehicle to local law enforcement.
Trump was reportedly back at his Mar-a-Lago resort a few hours after the incident. Despite the dramatic nature of the event, his campaign has not announced any changes to the candidate’s schedule of public events.
Reactions from across the political spectrum flooded social media after the the Palm Beach Sheriff and the FBI confirmed that what was initially described as a “shots fired” incident was in fact a second attempt to assassinate the Republican presidential nominee.
Ohio Sen. JD Vance (R), Trump’s running mate, expressed relief over Trump’s safety.
“He is one of the strongest people I’ve ever known,” Vance said on X.
Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s Democratic opponent, also issued a statement condemning the violence.
The attempt on Trump’s life has once again raised questions about his security, the competence of the U.S. Secret Service.
In the 64 days since the first attempt on his life, Trump has implemented heightened safety measures, including bulletproof glass enclosures at outdoor events and increased security presence at his Florida properties.
Erik Prince, founder of private security firm Blackwater and a prominent Trump ally, urged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to take over the investigation from federal authorities.
“It’s time for Governor DeSantis to flex up and ensure this is done properly,” Prince said in an interview with Benny Johnson.
The suspect’s motives remain unclear, but his actions indicate a calculated effort to target Trump. Authorities say they found two backpacks left behind at the scene, one containing ceramic tile intended to protect the gunman.
The White House confirmed that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the situation.
In his usual style, Trump posted to social media that “nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!”
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
VP Harris were are the non documented kids who you and Joe cross the border, 30,000 of the illegal border crossers who you and Joe are responsible for. What are you going to tell their parents in the rest of the world.
As I drive around I take note of where the Harris signs are then sell the list to door to door vacuum cleaner salesmen because #1 they must be better off than they were 4 years ago and #2 they’re not too smart, just ripe for the picking.
Genius. Can anyone just get get in? I really need a side to keep up with bidonomics.
Not to worry, the FBI is investigating the attempt. Keep hiring those DEI applicants at the Secret Service and this is what we will continue to get. And, we’re supposed to believe the hack media that MAGA is a threat to democracy?
What type of penalty will this Trump Hater get from the Democrat Justice department ?
The rifle pictured by the police is NOT an AK-47 rifle. That weapon in the picture has a black plastic Monte Carlo pistol grip style stock on it. You can not put one of those on an AK. That stock and the longer barrel is a dead give away, that weapon is an SKS rifle designed in Russia in 1946. It is a semi auto only rifle. They are not safe to try and modify to full auto, they were never designed for that. An SKS takes 10 rounds of 7.62 x 39 in an internal magazine loaded from the top. They can be modified to take AK magazines. ATF strongly suggests that you not do that. They fire the same ammo as the AK but with longer barrel and milled receiver they shoot better at a longer distance than an AK will. I built from parts and own several AK’s in various configurations and 2 SKS rifles so know the difference between them. And my opinion is shared by others. See the link below.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/experts-trumps-assassin-had-sks-194345053.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall
You would think cops and the FBI would know something about weapons. You could be wrong.