by Josh Dawsey, Carol D. Leonnig, Devlin Barrett, Mariana Alfaro (c) 2024 , The Washington Post
Federal authorities are investigating a potential assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump on Sunday after a man with a weapon appeared near his golf course in Florida as Trump was golfing.
“The FBI has responded to West Palm Beach Florida and is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump,” the agency said in a statement Sunday. Trump was uninjured and was rushed away after the U.S. Secret Service spotted a man with a gun and fired before 2 p.m., law enforcement officials said. The man was later arrested after a chase, and a rifle was found near where the man was spotted, the officials said.
It was unclear whether the man was able to fire any shots, or if the shots were fired by the Secret Service.
Trump said in a statement: “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I am safe and well!”
According to two people briefed on the incident, the former president was golfing at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach early Sunday afternoon with Steve Witkoff, a close friend and adviser, and others.
The Secret Service has long been concerned about Trump’s vulnerability on his golf courses, which remain open to parts of the public and are often near heavily trafficked areas.
Agents spotted a man in the wood line with the gun, and a number of shots were fired. It is unclear if any were fired by the suspect. No one was believed to have been hit by the shots, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely discuss what transpired. The suspect then fled and was soon caught.
Trump was held at the club for several hours as his Secret Service detail and advisers sought to ensure Mar-a-Lago was safe – and it was safe to make the trip back to his residence. According to a Secret Service official briefed on the matter, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office detained a suspect on Florida’s Interstate 95 after he appeared to flee the scene on foot.
Palm Beach County sheriff’s officers blocked off more than a half-dozen intersections surrounding Trump International on Sunday afternoon. The property is just a few miles from Mar-a-Lago, but it is in a more urban setting than the club in Palm Beach.
The Palm Beach County Jail looks down on Trump International from the north, and across the street is the county’s main library and a U.S. Postal Service distribution center.
The White House said in a statement that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had been briefed about the incident. The two are “relieved to know that he is safe,” the White House said, and they will be updated on the case.
Trump had just returned from a several-day swing out west, and he usually golfs daily if he is in Florida. – – – Lori Rozsa in Florida contributed to this report.