{"id":32286,"date":"2024-09-16T07:48:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-16T12:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=32286"},"modified":"2024-09-16T21:51:46","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T02:51:46","slug":"trump-was-the-subject-of-an-apparent-assassination-attempt-at-his-florida-golf-club-the-fbi-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=32286","title":{"rendered":"Trump was the subject of an apparent assassination attempt at his Florida golf club, the FBI says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) \u2014 Donald Trump<\/u><\/a> was the target of what the FBI said \u201cappears to be an attempted assassination\u201d at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, just nine weeks after the Republican presidential nominee survived another attempt on his life. The former president said he was safe and well, and authorities held a man in custody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. Secret Service agents stationed a few holes up from where Trump was playing noticed the muzzle of an AK-style rifle sticking through the shrubbery that lines the course, roughly 400 yards away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An agent fired and the gunman dropped the rifle and fled in an SUV, leaving the firearm behind along with two backpacks, a scope used for aiming and a GoPro camera, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said. The man was later stopped by law enforcement in a neighboring county.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was the latest jarring moment in a campaign year marked by unprecedented upheaval. On July 13, Trump was shot during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and a bullet grazed his ear<\/u><\/a>. Eight days later, Democratic President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, giving way for Vice President Kamala Harris to become the party\u2019s nominee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it spawned new questions about Secret Service protective operations after the agency\u2019s admitted failures in preventing the assassination attempt<\/u><\/a> this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The man who was detained had a calm, flat demeanor and showed little emotion when he was stopped, according Martin County Sheriff William Snyder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe never asked, \u2018What is this about?\u2019 Obviously, law enforcement with long rifles, blue lights, a lot going on. He never questioned it,\u201d Snyder said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an email to supporters, Trump said: \u201cThere 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!\u201d He wrote: \u201cNothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He returned to Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach where he lives, according to a person familiar with Trump\u2019s movements who was not authorized to discuss them publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was not immediately clear how the development would affect his schedule or campaign dynamics. Trump was set to speak from Florida about cryptocurrency live on Monday night on the social media site X and had stops planned Tuesday and Wednesday in Michigan and on New York\u2019s Long Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An email to Trump campaign staffers obtained by AP said, \u201cWe ask that you remain vigilant in your daily comings and goings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we enter the last 50 days of President Trump\u2019s campaign, we must remember that we will only be able save America from those who seek to destroy it by working together as one team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden and Harris were briefed on the matter and each issued a statement condemning political violence. Harris\u2019 added that she was \u201cdeeply disturbed\u201d by the day\u2019s events and that \u201cwe all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fox News host Sean Hannity recounted on air his conversation with the former president\u2019s golf partner, Steve Witkoff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They had been on the fifth hole and about to go up to putt when they heard a \u201cpop pop, pop pop.\u201d Within seconds, he said Witkoff recounted, Secret Service agents \u201cpounced\u201d on Trump and \u201ccovered him\u201d to protect him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. His campaign had not announced any public plans for Trump on Sunday. He often spends the morning playing golf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump has had a stepped-up security footprint since the assassination attempt in July. When he is at Trump Tower in New York, parked dump trucks have formed a wall outside the building. At outdoor rallies, he now speaks from behind bulletproof glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Florida golf course was partially shut down for Trump as he played, but there are several areas around the perimeter of the property where golfers are visible from the fence line. Secret Service agents and officers in golf carts and on ATVs generally secure the area several holes ahead and behind Trump. Agents also usually bring an armored vehicle onto the course to shelter Trump quickly should a threat arise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Palm Beach County sheriff said the entire golf course would have been lined with law enforcement if Trump were the president, but because he is not, \u201csecurity is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would imagine that the next time he comes to the golf course, there will probably be a little more people around the perimeter,\u201d Bradshaw said. \u201cBut the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Late Sunday, Trump posted a message on social media thanking the Secret Service and law enforcement for keeping him safe, calling them \u201cbrave and dedicated Patriots,\u201d adding that it was \u201ccertainly an interesting day!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was to be briefed in person Monday by acting Secret Service director Ronald Rowe about the investigation into the assassination attempt, according to a person familiar with the plan for the briefing who was not authorized to speak publicly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former presidents and their spouses have Secret Service protection for life, but the security around former presidents varies according to threat levels and exposure, with the toughest measures typically being taken in the immediate aftermath of their leaving office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump\u2019s protective detail has been higher than some other former presidents because of his high visibility and his campaign to seek the White House again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The man in custody was Ryan Routh, three law enforcement officials told the AP. The officials who identified the suspect spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Records show Routh, 58, lived in North Carolina for most of his life before moving to Hawaii in 2018. In 2020, he made a social media post backing Trump\u2019s reelection, but in more recent years his posts have expressed support for Biden and Harris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Routh tried to recruit Afghan soldiers fleeing the Taliban to fight in Ukraine, and spent several months in the country, according to an interview with The New York Times last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FBI was leading the investigation and working to determine any motive. Attorney General Merrick Garland was receiving regular updates. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were helping investigate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe FBI has responded to West Palm Beach Florida and is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump,\u201d the bureau said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said the state would do its own investigation, posting on X that, \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

News reporters were not with Trump on Sunday. Bucking tradition, Trump\u2019s campaign has not arranged to have a protective pool of reporters travel with him, as is standard for major party nominees and for the president. Harris does not have a protective pool at all times, but does allow reporters to travel with her for public events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Snyder, the Martin County sheriff, said the suspect was apprehended within minutes of the FBI, Secret Service and Palm Beach County Sheriff\u2019s Office putting out a \u201cvery urgent BOLO\u201d \u2014 or \u201cbe on the lookout\u201d alert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Snyder said his deputies \u201cimmediately flooded\u201d northbound I-95 and \u201cwe pinched in on the car, got it safely stopped and got the driver in custody.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

apnews<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) \u2014 Donald Trump was the target of what the FBI said \u201cappears to be an attempted assassination\u201d at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, just nine weeks after the Republican presidential nominee survived another attempt on his life. The former president said he was safe and well, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":32287,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[8097,1437,30492,1230],"class_list":["post-32286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-assassination","tag-florida","tag-golf-club","tag-trump"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32286"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32288,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32286\/revisions\/32288"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/32287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}