FBI: Trump was target of apparent assassination attempt at his Florida golf club

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) stated this Sunday that it is investigating “what appears to be an assassination attempt” against former President Donald Trump at his golf club in West Palm Beach.

“The FBI has responded to West Palm Beach, Florida, and is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump,” a statement on the government website read.

The former president was declared safe by the United States Secret Service after shots were reportedly fired on his property shortly before 2:00 p.m.

Federal agents opened fire on 58-year old Ryan Wesley Routh, who was allegedly pointing an AK-style rifle at the club while Trump was on the golf course, three law enforcement officials said.

According to The Associated Press (AP), Routh lived in North Carolina for most of his life before moving to Hawaii in 2018.

In 2020, he made a social media post backing Trump’s reelection, but posts suggest he shifted in his political views to supporting Biden and Harris instead.

“Routh tried to recruit Afghan soldiers fleeing the Taliban to fight in Ukraine, and spent several months in the country, according to an interview with The New York Times last year,” the AP reported.

A law enforcement official who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity described some of the details of the encounter, saying that federal agents noticed the firearm protruding from bushes on the golf course.

“U.S. Secret Service agents stationed a few holes up from where Trump was playing noticed the muzzle of an AK-style rifle sticking through the shrubbery that lines the course, roughly 400 yards away,” the AP reported.

“An agent fired and the gunman dropped the rifle and fled in an SUV, leaving the firearm behind along with two backpacks, a scope used for aiming and a GoPro camera, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said. The man was later stopped by law enforcement in a neighboring county.”

The suspect then reportedly dropped the gun and fled in a van that was later found in nearby Martin County.

After he was arrested, Routh remained calm and showed little emotion, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder told the AP.

“He never asked, ‘What is this about?’ Snyder explained. “Obviously, law enforcement with long rifles, blue lights, a lot going on. He never questioned it.”

It was not immediately clear whether any of the reported gunfire was aimed at the Republican presidential candidate and no injuries were reported, according to a spokesman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

The White House said President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, were briefed on what happened and kept informed of the investigation.

The president has since directed the White House to ensure the Secret Service “has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former president’s continued safety.”

For Trump’s part, he was reportedly shaken but not deterred, and almost immediately sent out an email to his supporters to confirm that he was safe.

“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!” he wrote. “Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!”

The former president reportedly also checked in with running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and several Fox News journalists after the encounter.

House Speaker Mike Johnson who visited with the former president after the apparent assassination attempt subsequently tweeted that he was “unstoppable.”

Trump had returned to Florida this weekend after a West Coast tour that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a fundraising event in Utah.

The former president has amplified his security since a previous July 13 assassination attempt when he was shot in the right ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. In that incident, one attendee lost his life and two others were injured.

An email to Trump campaign staffers obtained by AP said, “We ask that you remain vigilant in your daily comings and goings.”

“As we enter the last 50 days of President Trump’s campaign, we must remember that we will only be able save America from those who seek to destroy it by working together as one team.”