Donald Trump was the target of what the FBI described as an “attempted assassination” at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, marking the second such incident in just nine weeks.
The former president and Republican presidential nominee confirmed he was safe, while authorities took a man into custody.
U.S. Secret Service agents, positioned several holes away from where Trump was playing, spotted the muzzle of an AK-style rifle protruding from the shrubbery about 400 yards from the course.
A nearby agent immediately fired, prompting the gunman to drop the weapon and flee the scene in an SUV, leaving behind two backpacks, a scope, a GoPro camera, and the firearm. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw confirmed the man was later apprehended by law enforcement in a neighboring county.
This incident follows a turbulent campaign season, marked by a prior attempt on Trump’s life.
On July 13, during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump was grazed by a bullet that struck his ear. That event came just over a week before Democratic President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, paving the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic Party’s nominee.
The attempted assassination has reignited concerns about the efficacy of Secret Service protective operations, especially after the agency admitted failures in preventing the attack earlier this summer.
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