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REUTERS/Marco Bello A police vehicle is seen at the entrance of the golf club after reports of shots fired outside Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. September 15, 2024.
The Washington Post / Josh Dawsey, Carol D. Leonnig, Devlin Barrett, Mariana Alfaro, Isaac Arnsdorf
16:20 JST, September 16, 2024
Republican nominee Donald Trump was unharmed Sunday in what authorities are investigating as another potential assassination attempt, after a man pointed a rifle into a Florida golf course where the former president was playing. Police have detained a suspect whose name has not yet been released.
Sunday’s incident occurred while Trump was golfing at his course in West Palm Beach, Fla. Following the usual security procedure, a Secret Service agent moved one or two holes ahead of the former president, 300 to 500 yards away, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
At around 1:30 p.m., between the fifth and seventh holes, the agent noticed a rifle muzzle poking through the tree-lined chain-link fence surrounding the golf course, Bradshaw said. The agent opened fire and Trump’s detail rushed him to a holding room. The gunman fled in a black Nissan, leaving behind an AK-47-style rifle, two bags and a camera mounted to the fence to record, according to Bradshaw.
“With a rifle and a scope like that, that’s not a long distance,” Bradshaw said.
It was the second time in just over two months that a man had a high-powered rifle within range of Trump, renewing concerns about Trump’s safety in the height of the campaign leading up to Election Day on Nov. 5. The Secret Service has long viewed golf courses as especially challenging because they are open to parts of the public and near heavily trafficked areas. The agency repeatedly denied requests for the Trump campaign for additional security measures at his public events, with officials citing limited resources.
“The threat level is high,” Rafael Barros, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Miami field office, told reporters Sunday. “We live in danger times.”
As of Sunday evening, the FBI had not yet briefed Trump about the incident, according to Trump advisers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a sensitive situation.
The fleeing alleged gunman was observed by a witness who called the police to report the car and license plate number, Bradshaw said. Officers tracked down the car on the highway and intercepted it about 45 miles north, in neighboring Martin County.
Palm Beach County State Attorney David Aronberg said prosecutors are working on warrants and a motion for the suspect’s pretrial detention.
Bradshaw praised the agent who noticed the rifle and the law enforcement response. He noted that Trump received less security as a former president and candidate than as a sitting president.
“I would imagine the next time he comes to the golf course, there’ll probably be a little bit more people around the perimeter,” he said in a news conference Sunday. “But the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done. They provided exactly what the protection should have been.”
Trump had arrived back in Florida late Saturday night after a three-day swing, which culminated with a fundraiser held by former Apprentice producer Mark Burnett in Utah. He usually golfs daily while in Florida, and on Sunday he was with companions including Steve Witkoff, a close friend and adviser, according to two people briefed on the incident.
The Secret Service held Trump at the golf club for several hours to ensure his nearby primary residence, Mar-a-Lago, was secure before moving him there. Trump was in good spirits, telling one friend he wished he could have finished his round, and he took calls for much of the afternoon, said a person close to him, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a private call. Trump said that during the round, they had no idea where the shots were coming from as they were rushed to safety, this person said.
Trump’s campaign quickly announced he was unharmed and followed up with fundraising appeals.
“I am safe and well, and no one was hurt,” Trump said in one of the campaign messages. “But, there are people in this world who will do whatever it takes to stop us.”
The White House said in a statement that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had been briefed about the incident. The two are “relieved to know that he is safe,” the White House said, and they will be updated on the case.
Harris said in a post on X that she has been “briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Trump told him the Secret Service had told the former president and his fellow golfers to “get down” and rushed him off the course. When they spoke, Trump said he was surrounded by “500 cops” and disappointed he couldn’t finish the round. “He said he was two-under after five,” Graham said.
