DONALD Trump was rushed to safety as the Secret Service “opened fire on a gunman” in a SECOND assassination attempt on the former president.
The Republican presidential candidate, 78, was playing golf in West Palm Beach, Florida, when a gunman pointed an AK-47 at him and shots rang out.
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Former President Donald Trump Credit: AP
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Two rucksacks, a rifle and a GoPro camera found near the golf courseCredit: Sky News
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The vehicles were spotted at a golf club in Florida on Sunday afternoon after the incident Credit: Mega Agency
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Trump is believed to have been in one of these vehicles after the ‘assassination attempt’Credit: Sky News
The FBI has now confirmed that Sunday’s incident was an “apparent assassination attempt”.
Sources told Fox News that the suspect in the West Palm Beach assassination attempt is named Ryan Wesley Routh.
An AK-47 rifle, two backpacks and a GoPro camera were recovered from the bush where he was seen, according to law enforcement officials.
West Palm Beach police have yet to release the details and background of the suspected killer.
Read more about Donald Trump
The FBI, which is now leading the investigation, said multiple teams, including bomb technicians, are involved in the investigation.
Trump then said he would “never surrender” in his first statement since the horrific ordeal.
The former president said: “There have been shots fired near me, but before the rumors get out of hand, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND FINE!
“Nothing will slow me down. I WILL NEVER SURRENDER!
“I will always love you for supporting me.”
“Unity. Peace. Let’s make America great again. God bless you,” he added.
The business magnate played golf at his Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach on Sunday around 2 p.m.
The club is just five miles from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach.
He is often seen playing golf there when he is not campaigning.
Law enforcement sources claim that when Trump was on the phone, agents opened fire on a man they saw carrying what appeared to be a gun, The New York Post reported.
Trump was then brought to safety by the Secret Service.
Donald Trump’s shooter Thomas Crooks also ‘considered DNC & RNC targets’ before assassination attempt on former president
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Trump’s statement after the horrific ordealCredit: Twitter
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Sheriff’s vehicles were also pictured near the Trump International Golf Club Credit: AP
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West Palm Beach Police, the Secret Service and the FBI held a media briefing in Florida this afternoonCredit: Sky News
According to sources, the Secret Service spotted the suspect at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach and opened fire after seeing what appeared to be a rifle barrel.
The man was later arrested by local police on I-95, the US newspaper reported.
The man’s black vehicle has also been impounded as police question him in connection with the shooting.
He is believed to be the person with the gun outside the golf course fence line, officials told NBC.
It is not clear whether the man was on or near the track, but the Secret Service agent fired multiple times, The New York Post reports.
Sources told CNN that the shots fired at the Trump International Golf Club were aimed at the former president.
Trump is now reportedly back at his Mar-a-Lago resort, an AP source says.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung earlier said in a statement: “President Trump is safe after the shooting near him. There are no further details at this time.”
A number of police cars were seen along a road in Florida, believed to be near a golf club.
The video was posted on X, formerly Twitter, by user @realDerekUtley, who wrote: “The roads to the @realDonaldTrump Golf Club in West Palm are now closed with a heavy police presence in the area after multiple shots were fired near it.
“The road has been closed for several miles with police forces coordinating at all possible access points.”
The Secret Service is now investigating the shooting and has confirmed that Trump is safe, The New York Post reports.
The White House said in a statement that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had been informed of the security incident involving Trump and that they were both “relieved to know he is safe.”
“They will be updated regularly by their team,” the White House added.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who will face Trump in November’s presidential election, wrote on her X page: “I am aware of the reports of a shooting near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.”
Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr wrote on X: “Again folks! Shooting at the Trump Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“An AK-47 was discovered in the bushes, according to local police. The Trump campaign released a statement confirming that former President Trump is safe.
“The suspect has reportedly been arrested.”
It comes just nine weeks after Thomas Matthew Crooks shot Trump at a July 13 rally.
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The Republican survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania just a few weeks ago
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Trump is being taken away with a bloody face
Trump was left bleeding after a bullet pierced his ear at an outdoor event in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The attacker, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was killed by Secret Service snipers shortly after opening fire.
While the former president survived the attack and is now safe, one supporter was killed and two others were seriously injured.
The first shooting of a US president or major party presidential candidate in more than four decades was an apparent security lapse that forced Kimberly Cheatle to resign as Secret Service director under bipartisan pressure from Congress.
Trump was presenting a table with the numbers of border crossings to the crowd when shots rang out.
Secret Service agents rushed the stage as footage of the event captured fans screaming in panic.
The banging continued as agents tended to Trump before the Republican presidential nominee stood up and threw a punch.
Trump shouted “Fight! Fight!” before being led to his procession to leave the place.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump said: “I was hit by a bullet that went through the top of my right ear.
“I knew immediately that something was wrong, I heard a whistle, shots.
“I immediately felt the bullet tearing my skin. At the moment, nothing is known about the shooter, who is now dead.”
Which American presidents were killed or nearly killed?
THROUGHOUT US history, four presidents have been assassinated while in office, and several have survived assassination attempts.
These tragic events deeply affected the nation and led to significant changes in the way presidential security is handled.
The first American president to be assassinated was Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, on April 14, 1865. Just days after the end of the Civil War, Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer, while attending a performance at Ford’s Theater in Washington, DC Lincoln he succumbed to his injuries the next day, leaving the country in shock during a crucial period of reconstruction.
In 1881, James A. Garfield, the 20th president, was shot by Charles J. Guiteau, a disgruntled office seeker. Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881, at a train station in Washington, DC, and suffered for months from infections caused by his wounds before dying on September 19, 1881. His death drew attention to issues of medical care and political patronage.
The third assassination occurred in 1901, when William McKinley, the 25th president, was shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz during a public event at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. McKinley initially survived the shooting on September 6, 1901, but died of gangrene caused by the wounds on September 14. His death ushered Theodore Roosevelt into the presidency and marked a turning point in the view of political violence.
The last assassination of an American president occurred on November 22, 1963, when John F. Kennedy, the 35th president, was shot while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was killed by a sniper’s bullet, and Lee Harvey Oswald was appointed as the official assassin. The event left a lasting impact on American society and is still the subject of many debates and conspiracies.
Several other US presidents have survived serious assassination attempts.
Andrew Jackson, the seventh president, faced the first recorded attempt in 1835, when Richard Lawrence tried to shoot him outside the US Capitol. Interestingly, both of Lawrence’s guns misfired, and Jackson defended himself with his stick.
In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt was shot while campaigning for a third term after his presidency. He survived because the bullet was slowed by his eyeglass case and a thick speech in his pocket, and he is known to have finished his speech before seeking medical attention.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, before taking office, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in 1933. During a public event in Miami, Giuseppe Zangara shot at Roosevelt but missed, killing Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak.
Harry S. Truman faced a more organized attempt in 1950 when two Puerto Rican nationalists attempted to attack Blair House, where he was staying. A shootout ensued, but Truman was unharmed.
In 1975, Gerald Ford survived two assassination attempts in the same month. First, Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson, tried to shoot him in Sacramento, California, but her gun misfired. Just 17 days later, Sara Jane Moore shot at Ford in San Francisco, but missed.
Finally, in 1981, John Hinckley Jr. shot Ronald Reagan outside a hotel in Washington, DC. Reagan was seriously injured but recovered after surgery, and the incident led to increased security measures for future presidents.
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Source: HIS Education