Donald Trump is safe after what appears to be an assassination attempt at Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Shots were fired in Trump’s vicinity shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday as he was playing on the course with friend and donor Steve Witkoff, according to multiple media outlets. A suspect has been detained by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and an AR-15 or AK-47-type semiautomatic rifle has been recovered. Secret Service agents had fired at the suspect, sources told CNN.
Law enforcement officials are seeking information on who bought the rifle and where. The FBI has joined the investigation.
The suspect has now been identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, a self-employed builder specializing in affordable housing in Hawaii. He had criticized the former president and current Republican presidential nominee on social media. In a posting on X in April, he wrote that what was then President Joe Biden's reelection campaign should be “called something like KADAF. Keep America democratic and free. Trumps should be MASA …make Americans slaves again master. DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose,” according to CNN.
In 2020, he wrote of Trump, “While you were my choice in 2106, I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment and it seems you are getting worse and devolving. I will be glad when you gone.”
The incident came two months after Trump was wounded in an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler County, Pa.
“President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity. No further details at this time,” said a statement released by Steven Cheung, the Trump campaign’s communications director.
Trump himself commented in a fundraising email, saying, “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!”
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been briefed on the incident, and they are “relieved to know he is safe,” according to a White House statement. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has been briefed as well, CNN reports. Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, wrote on social media, “I have 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.”
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