WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is safe following gunshots near his golf course in Florida, his campaign and U.S. Secret Service announced on Sunday. The incident appears to be an assassination attempt on the former president, the second one in two months.
The incident took place at Trump International Golf Course where the former president was golfing, according to officials.
“The Secret Service, in conjunction with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, is investigating a protective incident involving former President Donald Trump that occurred shortly before 2 p.m.,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.
The FBI said Sunday in a statement it is investigating, “what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump,” at his Florida golf club, according to various reports.
The incident occurred on the same day that the Republican nominee posted “I hate Taylor Swift” on his Truth Social platform and his running mate Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) admitted that he had “no regrets” for propagating fake stories about Haitian migrants that led to multiple threats in the town of Springfield, Ohio.
This is a developing story. Follow along with USA TODAY for the latest.
Schumer: Suspect ‘must be prosecuted’
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he was briefed by the acting director of the Secret Service about the shooting.
He applauded the agency’s quick response, and reiterated Harris’ point earlier in the day that there is no place for political violence in the U.S. before saying, “the perpetrator must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
— Phillip Bailey
Secret Service should expand Trump perimeter, some say
As the Palm Beach sheriff explained at Sunday’s press conference, the golf course would have been “surrounded” by law enforcement if Trump were the sitting president, but because he’s a candidate that area is much smaller.
Some are already saying that needs to change amid a hotly contested election defined by divisive rhetoric.
Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said the Secret Service should change its policy and treat Trump like he’s an incumbent with a larger protective perimeter around him. “Stop being bureaucratic,” he said on X. “Do what’s necessary.”
— Phillip Bailey
Vance: ‘Hugging my kids extra tight’
Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, who is Trump’s running mate in the 2024 election, said he spoke with him before news about the shooting was made public.
Trump, “was, amazingly, in good spirits,” he said in a post on X.
“Still much we don’t know, but I’ll be hugging my kids extra tight tonight and saying a prayer of gratitude,” Vance added.
— Phillip Bailey
How was this able to happen?
Asked by reporters how this incident could occur, especially given the previous attempt on Trump’s life, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw described the golf course as being “surrounded by shrubbery” with a limited perimeter.
“When somebody gets into the shrubbery, they’re pretty much out of sight,” he said.
Because Trump is not a sitting president, Bradshaw said, “security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible,” but that will likely change in the future.
“I would imagine the next time he comes at a golf course, there’ll probably be a little bit more people around the perimeter, 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.”
— Phillip Bailey
Florida lawmaker wants Secret Service to brief Congress this week
A member of the bipartisan congressional assassination task force is calling on the U.S. Secret Service to brief lawmakers this week after a second assassination attempt at Trump in as many months.
“As I’ve said before, the July 13 assassination attempt was not an isolated incident that we can take our time investigating as domestic and foreign threats are ongoing,” Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Florida, said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The panel, which consists of six Democrats and seven Republicans, was established to look into the attempted assassination in Pennsylvania.
— Phillip Bailey
Secret Service ‘provided exactly what the protection should have been’ for Trump, county sheriff says
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric (cq) Bradshaw said the Secret Service had less protection at the golf course for Donald Trump because he was a former President and not a current one – but that the agency did everything it was supposed to do to protect him.
“You got to understand, the golf course is surrounded by shrubbery, so when somebody gets into the shrubbery, they’re pretty much out of sight, and at this level that he is at right now, he’s not the sitting present,” Bradshaw said at the news conference. “If he was, we would have had this entire golf course surrounded.”
“But because he’s not, the security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible,” Bradshaw said. “So I would imagine that the next time he comes to the golf course, there’ll probably be a little bit more people around the perimeter.”
“But the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done,” Bradshaw told reporters. “They provided exactly what the protection should have been, and their agent did a fantastic job” in responding to the suspect.
-Josh Meyer
Florida lawmaker wants Secret Service to brief Congress this week
A member of the bipartisan congressional assassination task force is calling on the U.S. Secret Service to brief lawmakers this week after a second assassination attempt at Trump in as many months.
“As I’ve said before, the July 13 assassination attempt was not an isolated incident that we can take our time investigating as domestic and foreign threats are ongoing,” Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Florida, said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The panel, which consists of six Democrats and seven Republicans, was established to look into the attempted assassination in Pennsylvania.
— Phillip Bailey
‘We had a tag, we had a vehicle description’ and ‘we got the guy’
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw praised the Secret Service for noticing a suspicious person and opening fire on him – and also local and federal officials for working together to capture him.
“I just want to tell you, the Secret Service, the FBI and the State Attorney’s Office have been fantastic to work with,” Bradshaw said at a news conference Sunday. “And I can tell you right now, our agency, with this real time crime center, was fabulous. That’s how we got the guy.”
“We started out with ‘We don’t know anything’ to where we had a tag, we had a vehicle description, and we got an area where we saw the person,” Bradshaw said. “So be proud. Be proud of your law enforcement.”
-Josh Meyer
More details expected Sunday afternoon
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office would “have more details soon.” A news conference with Sheriff Ric Bradshaw is scheduled for later this afternoon.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office said based on information from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, deputies had stopped a vehicle at Interstate 95 and State Road 714 and taken a suspect into custody “believed to be connected to a shooting incident at Trump International in Palm Beach County.”
Along with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Attorney General Merrick Garland also has been briefed on the security incident at the Trump golf course, the Justice Department said in a statement. Biden is monitoring the situation and is receiving regular updates.
Trump allies, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said they spoke with Trump on Sunday, and the incident will not deter his quest to win the 2024 election.
“He is one of the strongest people I’ve ever known,” Graham posted on X, noting he’d just spoke with the former president. “He’s in good spirits and he is more resolved than ever to save our country.”
CNN reported Trump was playing golf at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach when the shooting occurred.
Officials: Secret Service engaged gunman, AK-47 style weapon found
U.S. Secret Service agents opened fire on a gunman located near the property line of the golf source after seeing a rifle, according to law enforcement officials who spoke at a press conference Sunday afternoon.
Agents found an AK-47 styled rifle, a scope, backpack and a GoPro camera on the scene, officials said. Trump was on the golf course at the time, and was roughly 400 to 500 yards away from where the would-be assailant was.
The suspect is now in custody, officials said.
Witness saw suspect fleeing
A witness saw the alleged gunman running from the golf course bushes and took a picture of his vehicle that led to the suspect’s quick apprehension, the Palm Beech County sherif said at Sunday’s press conference.
“We are able to catch a witness that came to us and said, ‘Hey, I saw the guy running out of the bushes, he jumped into a black Nissan and I took a picture of the vehicle and the tag,’ which was great,” Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said.
As a result, they were able to alert the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, who detained the suspect. The witness also was able to then identify the alleged gunman.
Who was Trump golfing with?
Before the shooting began Trump was golfing with longtime friend and real estate baron Steven Witkoff, according to multiple reports.
Witkoff gave a heartfelt speech about Trump at the Republican convention in Milwaukee back in August. He said he reached out to the former president after the assassination attempt in July, and was surprised when Trump picked up.
“I know this man very well,” Witkoff said. “President Trump is as kind and compassionate a man as I’ve ever met my lifetime.”
Trump: ‘I am safe and well’
In a fundraising email sent out roughly an hour after the incident, Trump said there were gunshots in his vicinity, “but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I am safe and well!”
Kamala Harris: ‘I am glad he is safe’
Vice President Kamala Harris said she has been briefed about shots being fired near Trump and his property in Florida, adding she is glad he is safe.
“Violence has no place in America,” she said.
Hannity: Trump wanted to finish golfing
Fox News host Sean Hannity has developed a close relationship with Trump and conveyed having a brief conversation with the GOP nominee on Sunday. He joined a live broadcast after speaking with the former president.
Trump checked to see if others were OK, Hannity said, but then joked about wanting to finish the round.
“I guess in typical, ‘fight, fight, fight’ fashion Trump said… ‘I really wanted to finish the hole,'” Hannity said.
White House has been briefed on incident
The White House said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been briefed about the incident. security incident at the Trump International Golf Course, where former President Trump was golfing.
“They are relieved to know that he is safe,” the statement said. “They will be kept regularly updated by their team.”
When was Donald Trump last attacked?
This incident occurs two months after the former president was injured in an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania on July 13. That incident has sparked an investigation and caused the resignation of then Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who had led the agency since 2022.
In the subsequent weeks, Trump has increased security at his events with him often speaking behind bulletproof glass at outdoor rallies.
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shots fired near Trump: Live updates after golf course shooting
