'I'll Never Surrender': Donald Trump Says He's Safe After Second Assassination Attempt, Suspect Held

Donald Trump, hours after he survived another apparent assassination attempt Sunday in Florida, said he was safe and well. A website fundraising message by the former US President read, “Fear not! I am safe and well, and no one was hurt. Thank God!”

Another message from Trump read, “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but rumours start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL” (sic).

“Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER,” he said.

“I will always love you for supporting me,” Trump added.

On Sunday, a gunman fired near the boundary of the former US President’s golf club in West Palm Beach. In an official statement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said Trump was safe and unharmed.

The US Secret Service also confirmed one or more of its agents opened fire at the gunman, and that an AK-47-style rifle with a scope was recovered along with a GoPro video camera.

A potential suspect, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, was in custody.

The attack comes just nine weeks after Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler.

WHAT US SECRET SERVICE SAID ON ATTACK ON TRUMP

According to the Secret Service, the suspect bolted out of the shrubbery he had been hiding in and escaped in a black car. A witness helped police identify the vehicle and authorities tracked it down.

Addressing a news conference, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said, “We have somebody in custody right now that is a potential suspect.”

It was not confirmed if the gunman fired in the direction of Trump, or if he retaliated to the Secret Service’s firing.

Secret Service authorities said, “We are not sure right now if the individual was able to take a shot at our agents,” news agency AFP reported.

Officials said the Secret Service has been under intense scrutiny since its apparent failure to detect and stop a gunman from shooting at Trump in Pennsylvania.

They also said Secret Service personnel in Trump’s protective detail spotted “this rifle barrel sticking out of the fence and immediately engaged that individual, at which time the individual took off.”

According to reports, the suspect was set up 300 to 500 yards (275 to 455 meters) away, but “with a rifle and a scope like that, that’s not a long distance.”

KAMALA HARRIS SAYS ‘NO PLACE FOR VIOLENCE IN US’

In an X post, US Vice President Kamala Harris said she was glad that Trump was safe.

“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,” Harris wrote.

“Violence has no place in America,” she tweeted.

JOE BIDEN COMMENDS SECRET SERVICE

“I have been briefed by my team regarding what federal law enforcement is investigating as a possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today,” US President Joe Biden wrote on X.

“A suspect is in custody, and I commend the work of the Secret Service and their law enforcement partners for their vigilance and their efforts to keep the former President and those around him safe,” he added.

TRUMP’s SON REACTS

“Again folks! SHOTS FIRED at Trump Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida,” Trump’s son wrote on X, linking the same with the earlier, Pennsylvania assassination attempt.

“An AK-47 was discovered in the bushes, per local law enforcement. The Trump campaign has released a statement confirming former President Trump is safe. A suspect has reportedly been apprehended,” he added.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE SUSPECT

Law enforcement officials told the Associated Press that Ryan Wesley Routh was the person who pointed the rifle and was arrested.

Routh hailed from North Carolina and moved to Kaaawa, Hawaii, in 2018. He operated a company building sheds with his son.

In July, following the assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania, Routh, through his social media posts, urged Biden and Harris to visit those wounded in the shooting at the hospital and to attend the funeral of a former fire chief killed at the rally.

Records show that while living in Greensboro, North Carolina, Routh had multiple run-ins with law enforcement. He was convicted in 2002 of possessing a weapon of mass destruction, according to online North Carolina Department of Adult Correction records.

TRUMP IN FLORIDA

Trump had returned to Florida this week from a West Coast swing that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser. His campaign had not announced any public plans for Trump on Sunday. He often spends the morning playing golf.

It was not immediately clear whether the development would affect Trump’s campaign schedule. The former President was set to speak from Florida about cryptocurrency live on Monday night on X. He planned a town hall Tuesday in Flint, Michigan, followed by a rally Wednesday on New York’s Long Island.

According to the Associated Press, Trump’s Florida golf course was partially shut down as Trump played, but there are several areas around the perimeter of the property where golfers are visible from the fence line.

Secret Service agents and officers in golf carts and on ATVs generally secure the area several holes ahead and behind Trump when he plays. Agents also usually bring an armoured vehicle onto the course to shelter Trump quickly should a threat arise.