Donald Trump Target Of Apparent Assassination Attempt At His Florida Golf Course, FBI Says; News Outlets Identify Potential Suspect

UPDATED, with potential suspect’s name: Donald Trump was about about 300 to 500 yards away from a man who had a gun at or near his West Palm Beach golf course today, officials said, in what the FBI said “appears to be an attempted assassination” of the former president.

Secret Service agents fired shots at the man, who dropped the weapon and fled, officials said at a press conference this afternoon.

An AK-47 style weapon was recovered at the scene, along with a Go Pro camera, as well as two backpacks that were hung on a fence. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department has a potential suspect in custody, a man who was identified by numerous news outlets as Ryan Wesley Routh.

A Secret Service agent had been advancing one hole ahead of Trump as he played the course, “and he was able to spot this rifle barrel, sticking out of the fence, and immediately engage that individual, at which time that individual took off,” according to Ric Bradshaw of the sheriff’s office.

A witness saw a man jump into a black Nissan, and a witness took a picture of the vehicle and the tag. The vehicle was later spotted on I-95, and Martin County Sheriff’s Office pulled over the Nissan and detained the man.

Trump’s campaign had disclosed the incident in a press release, saying that Trump was safe and unharmed, but they provided few other details.

The former president also said in a fundraising pitch that he was “safe and well” and “no one was hurt.”

Trump survived an assassination attempt in July at a rally in Butler, PA. One attendee was killed, as was the assailant. In the aftermath, there has been a congressional investigation into what happened and how the gunman was able to get into the sightline of Trump at the outdoor rally. The director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, later resigned.

The Secret Service said that the incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m.

News networks quickly jumped on the story with ongoing coverage. CNN postponed plans for an episode of The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper this evening, devoted to the topic of misinformation on the far left.

NBC News went up with a special report at 5:19 p.m. ET.

On Fox News, Sean Hannity said that he spoke with Trump this afternoon and he told him that he “really wanted to finish the hole. I was even and I had a birdie putt.”

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been briefed on the incident. “They are relieved to know that he is safe. They will be kept regularly updated by their team,” the White House said.

The vice president posted on X, “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. Violence has no place in America.”