Donald Trump has broken his silence hours after surviving a second assassination attempt on his life while playing golf at his Florida golf course.
The Republican presidential candidate shared his interesting take on the “interesting day” on Truth Social and praised the Secret Service and law enforcement for their “incredible work.”
‘I would like to thank everyone for their concern and good wishes. It was certainly an interesting day!
‘Most importantly, I want to thank the United States Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his brave and dedicated Patriots Bureau, and all law enforcement, for the incredible work done today at Trump International to keep me safe, as the 45th President of the United States and the Republican nominee in the upcoming presidential election.
“THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!” Trump wrote.
Donald Trump shared his interesting take on the “interesting day” on Truth Social and praised the Secret Service and law enforcement for their “amazing job” just hours after the assassination attempt. (pictured: Trump at his New Jersey golf course in August 2023)
The suspected gunman, registered Democrat Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, showed little emotion and remained calm as he was taken into custody.
At about 1:30 p.m., the West Palm Beach Police Department was notified of shots fired by the Secret Service after an officer spotted the shooter in the bushes at the Trump International Golf Club at Mar-a-Lago, West Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said.
At the time, the alleged gunman, registered Democrat Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was about 300-500 yards from the 45th president who was playing golf between holes five and six.
The terrifying threat to the former President was alerted by a Secret Service agent who noticed something out of the ordinary protruding from the wire fence surrounding the golf course.
The danger was confirmed when they suddenly realised that it was a rifle barrel with a telescopic sight. The officer “immediately sprang into action” and fired four or six shots at Routh.
Bradshaw said the agent who saw the rifle is part of a team that stays one or two holes ahead of Trump on the course.
The former president was quickly taken to safety while Routh fled the scene.
The dire threat to the former president was first noticed by a Secret Service agent who noticed something out of the ordinary protruding from the wire fence surrounding the golf course. (pictured: police personnel investigating the scene on Sunday night)
The gunman had a scoped AK-style rifle, a GoPro camera and two backpacks hanging from a fence (pictured)
A witness then saw the alleged shooter drive away in his car and took photos of his license plates before handing them over to police.
Daniel Rodriguez, who was returning from Orlando with his family from a soccer game on I-95, said CNN He witnessed the “wild scene” when sheriff’s deputies arrested Routh.
“We saw several officers starting to speed up behind us,” Rodriguez said.
“We saw a black Nissan speeding up and weaving in and out of traffic. We saw a helicopter hovering in the air and a lot more police officers starting to show up. Then, a state trooper pulled over and blocked the lane of traffic.”
During his arrest, Routh showed little emotion and remained calm as he was taken into custody.
Martin County Sheriff William Synder said: “He never questioned what this was about. Obviously, law enforcement officers with long rifles, blue lights, a lot of things going on. He never questioned it.”
Bradshaw said Trump’s golf course is surrounded by bushes, making it difficult to see people hiding inside.
At the time, the shooter was about 300-500 meters from the Republican presidential candidate who was playing golf between holes five and six.
He told reporters at a news conference that the Secret Service had “limited” ability to protect Trump on the golf course.
“The golf course is surrounded by bushes, so when someone walks through the bushes, they can’t see them, and at the level he’s at right now, he’s not the sitting president,” Bradshaw said.
‘I imagine next time I come to the golf course, there will probably be a few more people around the perimeter.
“But the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done, provided exactly the protection they should have provided and their agent did a fantastic job,” Bradshaw added.
He added that the gunman had a scoped AK-type rifle, a GoPro camera and two backpacks hanging from a fence.
The backpacks had ceramic tiles inside and the suspect’s belongings are being processed, according to Bradshaw.
Following news of the shooting, the former president’s campaign communications director Steven Cheug said: “President Trump is safe following the shooting that occurred in his entourage. There are no further details at this time.”
Routh went from voting for Trump in 2016 to donating to Democrats in 2020, to four years later calling him a “threat to democracy” and saying he “would be glad when” Trump was gone.
The truck parked at Routh’s home had a “Biden/Harris” bumper sticker on the bumper.
Trump soon issued a defiant statement vowing to “never give up.”
“There were shots fired near my house, but before the rumors start to get out of hand, I wanted you to hear this first: I am safe and sound,” he wrote in an alert sent by his team.
“Nothing will stop me. I WILL NEVER GIVE UP!” the candidate continued, months after surviving another assassination attempt in which he was shot in the ear in Butler, Pennsylvania.
‘I will always love you for having my back. Unity. Peace. Let’s Make America Great Again.
“God bless you,” he wrote.
Trump returned to his Mar-a-Lago home at around 4:43 p.m., according to a source familiar with the incident.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Trump is “unstoppable” after spending time with him following the incident.
Although he was not on the field with the former president at the time, Johnson had a meeting scheduled with him at Mar-a-Lago afterward.
The son of the suspected shooter exclusively told DailyMail.com that his father is not a violent person and he didn’t even believe he had a gun.
Routh’s son, Oran Routh, was contacted by DailyMail.com shortly after Sunday’s shooting and said it was the first he had heard about the alleged attempted murder.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Trump is “unstoppable” after spending time with him following the incident.
“It was the first time I heard about it,” the 35-year-old told DailyMail.com exclusively. “Was my father shot or injured?”
He said his father hates Trump “like any reasonable person does.”
“I don’t like Trump either,” the son added.
But he said his father is not a violent person and he could not believe his father would attack the president.
“He’s my father, and from what I understand, all he’s ever gotten is a couple of traffic tickets,” the son said. “It’s crazy. I know my father and I love him, but he’s not like that.”
Oran said his father, who had no military experience, had traveled to Ukraine after the 2022 Russian invasion to volunteer and provide aid to those affected.
She added that Routh moved to Hawaii a few years ago and was living with his longtime girlfriend. Oran added that she didn’t even know her father was in Florida.
Routh went from voting for Trump in 2016 to donating to Democrats in 2020, to four years later calling him a “threat to democracy” and saying he “would be glad when” Trump was gone.
Routh’s posts on his now-deactivated Facebook and X accounts paint a picture of a man radicalized toward Trump and the war between Russia and Ukraine.
He also appears to have a history of more than 100 charges for various crimes, including a 2002 arrest for possession of a weapon of mass destruction, according to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.
Records do not provide details about the case, but a 2002 News & Record article says a man with the same name was arrested after a three-hour standoff with police.
Routh, who was 36 at the time, was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possessing a weapon of mass destruction, “in reference to a fully automatic machine gun,” according to the News & Record.
Further investigation into Routh’s past convictions shows carrying a concealed weapon, possession of stolen property and hit-and-run, according to NBC News.