Donald Trump updates: FBI probing ‘assassination attempt’ at golf course
Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump speaks during an election debate in Philadelphia, September 10 [Alex Brandon/AP Photo]
The FBI says it is investigating an incident involving a gunman at former US President Donald Trump’s golf course in Florida as an apparent “attempted assassination”.
Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, says he is “safe and well” after gunshots were fired in his vicinity in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Law enforcement officials say agents spotted a gunman with a rifle at the golf course, fired at him and eventually took him into custody after he tried to flee.
US President Joe Biden says he and Vice President Kamala Harris are “relieved” that Trump was not hurt in the incident, as politicians across the country denounce political violence.
For all the details of the latest apparent instance of political violence in the US, read our full report here.
This live page will soon be closing. Here’s what happened today:
The FBI says it is treating an incident at Trump’s golf course as an apparent “assassination attempt” against the former president.
Trump was unharmed in the incident.
A gunman was spotted on the outskirts of the course in the vicinity of Trump, according to law enforcement officials. A Secret Service agent fired at the man, who fled in a vehicle and was later arrested.
US media outlets have identified the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh. It was not immediately clear if he fired any shots.
The incident comes just two months after Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Lawmakers across the political spectrum have decried political violence, with some calling for further scrutiny of Secret Service protocols.
Right-wing Congressman Matt Gaetz has questioned why Trump was targeted for the second time in a few months.
“We need to know why this keeps happening,” Gaetz wrote in a social media post.
The FBI confirmed this was a SECOND assassination attempt on President Trump’s life.
Experts warned this would happen again.
The Israeli prime minister says he and his wife were “shocked by the second assassination attempt against President Trump and were relieved to hear that it too failed”.
“But we should not rely on luck,” Netanyahu added, saying he hopes that “all measures will be taken to ensure that such deadly attacks on a candidate for the US presidency will be foiled in advance”.
While US leaders typically maintain close relations with their Israeli counterparts, Trump had particularly warm ties with Netanyahu while president.
Both Harris and Trump have pledged to continue the unconditional US support for Israel if elected. The Israeli offensive has killed at least 41,206 Palestinians.
Sara and I were shocked by the second assassination attempt against President Trump and were relieved to hear that it too failed. But we should not rely on luck.
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“Thank you for your support. UNITY. PEACE. MAGA,” he added, referring to his campaign slogan, Make America Great Again.
The US president has released a more detailed statement on the apparent assassination attempt against Trump.
“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. I am relieved that the former president is unharmed,” Biden said.
“There is an active investigation into this incident as law enforcement gathers more details about what happened … I have directed my team to continue to ensure that the Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former president’s continued safety.”
Biden has abandoned his re-election bid against Trump and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris [File: Erin Schaff/Pool via AP]
There have been calls from both major political parties in the US to tone down rhetoric to avoid stirring up political violence.
But as the race between Trump and Harris heats up, such calls have gone largely ignored.
Democrats have portrayed Trump as a threat to democracy, while Republicans have amped up their anti-immigrant statement.
Trump himself has been spreading false accounts about Haitian immigrants abducting and eating people’s pets in Ohio, leading to concerns for the safety of the community.
Read more about the right-wing push to
Political analyst Eric Ham says Trump has been able to employ rhetoric outside of what is politically acceptable while remaining electorally competitive because his supporters have continued to back him throughout the years.
“What we have seen over and over again is, Donald Trump’s base continues to stand with him no matter what,” Ham told Al Jazeera.
Department of Homeland Security (DHC) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has lauded Secret Service agents’ “quick action to preempt this apparent assassination attempt” against Trump.
DHS oversees the Secret Service.
“DHS and the Secret Service are closely working with federal, state and local law enforcement partners to learn all of the facts surrounding this incident,” Mayorkas said in a social media post. “The safety and security of Presidential candidates and other protectees is the highest priority for the Secret Service.”
I commend the Secret Service for its quick action to preempt this apparent assassination attempt and protect the former President. We condemn violence against public officials and candidates. (1/2)
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The apparent potential assassination against Trump has rocked US politics and raised calls from across the political spectrum rejecting political violence.
Photos showing an AK-47-style rifle, a backpack and a Go-Pro camera on a fence outside Trump International Golf Club, released by law enforcement [Stephany Matat/The Associated Press]The vehicle in which the suspect fled at the scene of his arrest in Martin, Florida [The Associated PressFar-right political activist and Trump ally Laura Loomer on her mobile phone near Trump International Golf Club after the shooting in West Palm Beach, Florida [Terry Renna/The Associated Press]
Right-wing commentator Sean Hannity, a Trump ally, says he spoke with both the former president and his golf partner, Steve Witkoff, who was present during today’s incident.
Hannity said they told him that they had been on the fifth hole and were about to go to putt when they heard a “pop pop, pop pop” sound.
Secret Service agents then “pounced on” Trump and “covered him” to protect him, Witkoff told Hannity.
Harris’s running mate joins other US politicians in denouncing political violence.
“Violence has no place in our country. It’s not who we are as a nation,” the Minnesota governor said in a statement.
Gwen and I are glad to hear that Donald Trump is safe. Violence has no place in our country. It’s not who we are as a nation.
Elise Stefanik has questioned how the alleged gunman was able to “get this close” to Trump.
“There continues to be a lack of answers for the horrific assassination attempt in Pennsylvania and we expect there to be a clear explanation of what happened today in Florida,” the congresswoman said in a statement.
In a statement, the co-chairs of the task force, Republican Representative Mike Kelly and Democratic Representative Jason Crow, said they have requested a briefing with the Secret Service “about what happened and how security responded”.
“We are thankful that the former president was not harmed, but remain concerned about political violence and condemn it in all of its forms,” it said.
The panel is currently the only group in the House of Representatives authorised to probe the July assassination attempt.
Several US publications – including The New York Times, CBS News and Fox News – have reported, citing unidentified law enforcement officials, that the alleged gunman in the incident is Ryan Wesley Routh.
Law enforcement agencies have not officially released the suspect’s name.
The Trump campaign has so far not indicated that there will be any changes to the former president’s schedule in light of today’s events.
The former president is set to hold a town hall in Flint, Michigan, on Tuesday night. Polls have shown the race remains neck and neck in the Midwestern battleground state.
He will then hold a rally in Uniondale, New York, on Wednesday before heading to Wilmington, North Carolina on Saturday to give a speech on the economy.
Trump did not stop his public appearances after the assassination attempt in July. He attended the Republican National Convention and showed up at several events in the days that followed.
Trump after his speech on Day 4 of the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 18 [File: Jeenah Moon/Reuters]
In statements reminiscent of the response to the July 13 assassination attempt against Trump, lawmakers from across the political divide have condemned today’s incident.
Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate and a Trump critic, called for accountability for the alleged gunman.
“I was just briefed by the Acting Director of the Secret Service. I applaud the Secret Service for their quick response to ensure former President Trump’s safety,” Schumer said.
“There is no place in this country for political violence of any kind.”
I was just briefed by the Acting Director of the Secret Service. I applaud the Secret Service for their quick response to ensure former President Trump’s safety.
There is no place in this country for political violence of any kind. The perpetrator must be prosecuted to the…
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Republican Congressman Bob Latta says in a social media post that he is grateful for Trump’s safety as well as for the law enforcement agents who arrested the alleged gunman, crediting them for averting “what would have been a horrific tragedy”.
Political violence in the US underscores the broader issue of gun violence that has plagued the country for decades.
In the July attempt on Trump’s life, the shooter used a rifle bought legally by his father in 2013, according to several US media reports.
Today, law enforcement officials have said they recovered an AK-47-style rifle when they arrested the alleged gunman.
These types of semiautomatic weapons can be easily acquired in the US, where the Second Amendment of the Constitution grants the right to “keep and bear arms”.
Trump’s Republican Party views gun ownership as an essential liberty and has resisted and blocked efforts to enact stricter restrictions on arms.
While mass shootings and political violence in the US often get national and international attention, most gun violence incidents in the country do not make it to the headlines.
Gun violence killed 42,987 people in the US last year, according to the research group Gun Violence Archive.
Vance says he spoke to Trump before news of the incident became public.
“Still much we don’t know, but I’ll be hugging my kids extra tight tonight and saying a prayer of gratitude,” the senator said in a social media post.
I’m glad President Trump is safe. I spoke to him before the news was public and he was, amazingly, in good spirits.
Still much we don’t know, but I’ll be hugging my kids extra tight tonight and saying a prayer of gratitude.
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Dave Aronberg, state attorney for Palm Beach County, has said the suspect will initially be charged at the state level but could also be indicted with federal crimes.
Aronberg said his prosecutors were working on a warrant and pretrial detention applications for the suspect, whose identity has not been released.
“Our filing of the warrant and charges at the state level does not preclude the federal charges that could be coming,” Aronberg said.
“But in the meantime, it looks like the warrants and a pretrial detention motion will happen first.”
The assassination attempt against Trump in July sparked increased scrutiny against the Secret Service – the agency tasked with protecting current and former presidents.
The incident raised questions about how law enforcement agents allowed a gunman to fire on the Republican candidate from a nearby rooftop.
The fallout from the attack saw US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resign. The agency is currently conducting an internal probe into the attack. Several US news outlets have said that the report is set to detail several shortcomings, including failure to properly block the attacker’s lines of sight to Trump.
Today’s incident is all but assured to see even more scrutiny piled onto the agency, said Colin Clarke, the director of research at the Soufan Group.
“I think every layer of what the Secret Service does is going to be scrutinised, and rightfully so,” he told Al Jazeera. “We should demand that as American citizens, as taxpayers, that we hold these agencies and institutions to the high account.”
“Now more than ever, we cannot allow violence to seep into politics,” Carey, who represents a district in Ohio, wrote in a social media post.
Today’s attack on former President Trump is shocking and unacceptable. We are closely watching this situation as it develops and praying for his continued safety.
Now more than ever, we cannot allow violence to seep into politics.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Colin Clarke, a director of research at the Soufan Group, has said that today’s incident is the latest reminder of the persistent threat of political violence in the US.
The FBI has said it is investigating the incident as an “attempted assassination” as it did following the attack on Trump in July.
“We’re in a highly polarised political climate. We live in a country awash with weaponry, and there’s a constant threat stream – an unending, incessant, ubiquitous threat stream against the top political figures,” Clarke said.
“So, I’m not surprised at all, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news. This is probably not the last form of political violence that we’re going to see between now and November, to say nothing of what happens after the election.”
Trump survived an assassination attempt on July 13 during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Gunshots had rung out as Trump spoke on the stage. He took cover, with Secret Service agents diving on top of him. He then stood up, bearing a bloody ear and pumping his fist. “Fight, fight, fight,” he said.
Fifty-year-old Corey Comperatore, who was on the stage in support of Trump, was fatally shot in the attack. Several others were wounded.
It was later revealed that 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks had opened fire from a nearby rooftop, raising questions over how the Secret Service had secured the area. Crooks was fatally shot by a Secret Service agent at the scene.
Anti-migrant tropes invoked for political purposes are fuelling dehumanisation and raise risk of violence, experts say.
White House says US President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris ‘relieved’ Donald Trump is unharmed.
Top US Republican politicians continue to repeat debunked rumours about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Ohio town.
