Trump
Trump survives another assassination attempt, FBI quizzes arrested suspect
A man is in custody after shots were fired Sunday afternoon in what the FBI is calling an apparent “attempted assassination” of Donald Trump at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida — two months after an attempt on the former president’s life at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Trump, who was rushed to safety during the incident, said in a Truth Social post Sunday night that “it was certainly an interesting day!” He also thanked Secret Service and law enforcement, writing in all capital letters that “The job done was absolutely outstanding.”
The incident drew bipartisan condemnation, with Vice President Kamala Harris saying, “We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence.”
Nearly 10 hours earlier, shortly before 2 p.m., Trump was playing a round of golf near his Mar-a-Lago home when a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle with a scope in the bushes outside the course, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a news conference.
The Secret Service opened fire on the man, who was able to get away, fleeing in a black Nissan. As shots rang out, it was unclear whether the person “was able to take a shot at our agents,” Rafael Barros, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Miami field office, said at the news conference.
A nearby witness took a picture of the car and told authorities, Bradshaw said, helping lead to an arrest. The man taken into custody was identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, according to three senior law enforcement officials. His identity was not released during Sunday’s news conference.
Routh has a long criminal and civil court history, including a conviction for possessing a machine gun in 2022. A person named Ryan Routh lived for decades in North Carolina, and a Ryan Routh recently lived in Hawaii, according to property records. NBC News has not confirmed whether it is the same Routh who was taken into custody Sunday.
Routh previously told other news outlets that he had been in Ukraine to help its war effort. He expressed frustration to Semafor last year about Ukraine’s caution regarding admitting foreign soldiers, and he told Newsweek Romania in June 2022 that he was working to recruit people to the war effort.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement that Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, was “safe” after the incident.
Trump left the golf course in his motorcade a couple of hours after the incident and headed back to his Mar-a-Lago resort, a source familiar with the matter said. He has arrived at Mar-a-Lago, a separate source said.