Live updates: Trump safe after assassination attempt at his Florida golf club | AP News

By 
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Here’s what to know:

• A suspect is in custody: The gunman fled in an SUV and was later apprehended in a nearby county without a weapon, law enforcement officials said.
• A weapon was recovered: Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the gunman had an AK-style rifle with a scope, two backpacks hanging on a fence and a GoPro camera.
• No injuries were reported: Trump’s campaign and the Secret Service said Trump was safe, and the agency said it was investigating the incident that occurred shortly before 2 p.m.

Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, chair of the House Republican Conference, questioned “how an assassin was allowed to get this close to President Trump again” in light of the attempt on his life two months earlier.

“There continues to be a lack of answers for the horrific assassination attempt in Pennsylvania and we expect there to be a clear explanation of what happened today in Florida,” she added, calling on Americans to “unite behind” the GOP nominee in the November general election.

Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said in a post on X: “God bless our law enforcement. The vile rhetoric toward Trump is dangerous and must stop.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, said 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.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement he has been briefed by the acting director of the Secret Service and applauded the agency “for their quick response to ensure former President Trump’s safety.”

Schumer went on to condemn “political violence of any kind” and said the “perpetrator must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The man who authorities say pointed a rifle with a scope into former President Donald Trump’s golf club and was arrested is Ryan Wesley Routh, three law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.

The law enforcement officials identified the suspect to The AP but spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

Secret Service agents shot at the suspect, who was taken into custody after fleeing the scene of what the FBI is calling an apparent attempted assassination of the Republican presidential nominee. Authorities are working to determine a motive.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric 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.”

Former presidents and their spouses have Secret Service protection for life, but the security posture around former presidents varies depending on threat levels and exposure, with the toughest typically being in the immediate aftermath of their leaving office.

Trump’s protective detail has been higher than some of his peers because of his high visibility and his campaign to seek the White House again. His security was bolstered days before the July assassination attempt in Pennsylvania because of a threat on Trump’s life from Iran, U.S. officials said.

Trump’s running mate JD Vance posted on X that he spoke to the former president before the news became public and said “he was, amazingly, in good spirits.”

Vance said there was still a lot “we don’t know” about the incident.

Dave Aronberg, state attorney for Palm Beach County, said his prosecutors are working up warrant and pretrial detention applications. Aronberg indicated the suspect will initially be charged at the state level, but could also be charged with federal crimes.

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

Photos shared by law enforcement show two black bags hanging from a chain-link fence in the shrubbery outside the course, with the firearm propped up in between them and pointed through a gap in the fence. The GoPro camera was hanging on the fence to the side.

The incident raises new questions about how to keep the former president safe — not only while he is campaigning across the country, but while he spends time at his own clubs and properties.

Unlike typical VIPs, who live in private residences with tall fences, Trump, while in Florida, resides in a club open to dues-paying members, and often spends his downtime at his golf courses.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the gunman had an AK-style rifle with a scope, two backpacks hanging on a fence and a GoPro camera.

Bradshaw said he was about 400 to 500 yards away from Trump hidden in shrubbery while the former president played golf on a nearby hole. The backpacks had ceramic tile in them, Bradshaw said.

The suspect’s belongings are being processed, Bradshaw said.

A Secret Service agent walking on the golf course a hole ahead of where Trump was playing spotted the rifle sticking out of the fence and immediately opened fire, Bradshaw said.

The agent fired four to six rounds, a Secret Service official said. The suspect then fled. A witness who took a picture of the suspect’s vehicle and license plate number provided it to law enforcement officers.

Fox News host Sean Hannity, a close friend of the former president, said on air that he spoke with both Trump and his golf partner, Steve Witkoff, after the incident.

They told Hannity that they had been on the fifth hole and about to go up to putt when they heard a “pop, pop, pop, pop.” Within seconds, he said Witkoff recounted, U.S. Secret Service agents “pounced on” Trump and “covered him” to protect him.

Moments later, he said a “fast cart” with steel reinforcement and other protection was able to whisk Trump away.

Hannity said Trump’s reaction after this happened — and when it was clear everyone, including Witkoff, was safe — was to quip that he was sad he hadn’t been able to finish the hole since he “was even and had a birdie putt.”

News reporters were not with Trump on Sunday. Bucking tradition, Trump’s campaign has not arranged to have a protective pool of reporters travel with him, as is standard for major party nominees and for the office of the president.

A traveling pool of reporters, who rotate in and represent the broader news media, is designed to ensure there is independent and speedy information getting out to the public about the candidate or the president’s happenings and whereabouts, especially in the case of an emergency.

In July, when Secret Service agents whisked Trump away from his rally after surviving a gunman’s assassination attempt, no pool of reporters was taken with him.

Trump’s campaign did not release any information about the former president or his condition for over two hours after releasing an initial statement saying he was fine and being checked out at a medical facility.

Martin County Sheriff William Synder said: “He never asked, ‘what is this about?’ Obviously, law enforcement with long rifles, blue lights, a lot going on. He never questioned it.”

Martin County is immediately north of Palm Beach County.

Martin County Sheriff William D. Snyder told WPTV that the suspect was taken into custody without a firearm. He said the suspect had a calm, flat demeanor and showed little emotion. He did not question why he was being stopped.

The suspect was apprehended in a neighboring county shortly after a be on the lookout was issued. His vehicle was not immediately searched but will be.

Trump is supposed to speak about cryptocurrency live Monday night on the social media site X for the launch of his sons’ crypto platform. He’s expected to do that from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

The former president is scheduled to return to the campaign trail on Tuesday for a town hall in Flint, Michigan with his former press secretary, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, followed by a campaign rally in New York on Long Island on Wednesday.

At the end of the week, he’s scheduled to attend and address the Israeli-American Council National Summit in Washington, D.C., and on Saturday hold a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina.

The golf course was partially shut down for Trump as he played, and agents were a few holes ahead of him when they noticed the person with the firearm, the officials said.

The person appeared to push the muzzle of the rifle through the fence line and that’s when agents fired, the officials said.

Law enforcement officials were expected to speak to reporters Sunday afternoon about the incident and the apprehension of the suspect.

In a fundraising email hours after the incident, Trump said: “There 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!”

“Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!” the former president said.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post on Sunday that it has stopped a vehicle on northbound Interstate 95 and taken a suspect into custody who is believed to be connected to the shooting.

The sheriff’s office said it made the stop after authorities in neighboring Palm Beach County put out a “be on the lookout” alert. Photos included in the post showed an SUV stopped behind multiple law enforcement vehicles.

The post by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office indicated the suspect was apprehended near Palm City, Florida, about a 45-mile drive north of Trump’s golf course. Northbound lanes of I-95 were shut down, the sheriff’s office said.

U.S. Secret Service agents opened fire after seeing a person with a firearm near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club while the Republican candidate was golfing on Sunday, according to two law enforcement officials.

The person fled in an SUV and was later apprehended in a nearby county by local law enforcement, the officials said. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity to talk about an ongoing investigation.

In a post on X, Harris said Sunday that she had been briefed on the situation, adding, “I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.”

Donald Trump was safe after gunshots were reported in his vicinity Sunday afternoon in Florida, his campaign and the Secret Service said.

It was not immediately clear whether the reported shots were targeted at the Republican presidential nominee.

The U.S. Secret Service said it was investigating and that the incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. “The former president is safe,” according to the Secret Service.

Roughly two months ago, Trump was shot during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, and a bullet grazed his ear.

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.

The campaign did not immediately provide any additional details.

No injuries were reported, according to a spokesperson for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.

The White House said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, had both been briefed and would be kept updated on the investigation. The White House added they were “relieved” to know Trump is safe.

A law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation said officials were trying to determine whether the shots were fired near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course or on the grounds. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Trump often spends the morning playing golf, before having lunch at the Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach, one of three he owns in the state.

Trump has had a stepped-up security footprint since the assassination attempt in July. When he has been at Trump Tower in New York, a lineup of dump trucks have parked in a wall outside the building. And at outdoor rallies, he now speaks from behind an enclosure of bulletproof glass.

A message sent to campaign officials seeking information on the security status and location of Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, was not immediately returned.

Max Egusquiza, of Palm Beach, described the emergency response outside Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course.

“From what I saw 5 black unmarked SUVs blocked in a grey Mercedes in front of the golf course. There were about 20 or more cop cars flying from nearby streets,” he said.