One person is in custody after shots were fired Sunday in what the FBI is calling an apparent “attempted assassination” of Donald Trump at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida — two months after an attempt on the former president’s life at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Shortly before 2 p.m., the former president was playing a round of golf near his Mar-a-Lago home when a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle with a scope in the bushes outside of the course, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said in a news conference.
The Secret Service opened fire on the man, who was able to get away, fleeing in a black Nissan. As shots rang out, it was unclear if the suspect “was able to take a shot at our agents,” Rafael Barros of the Secret Service said at the news conference.
A nearby witness took a picture of the car and told authorities, Bradshaw said, helping lead to the arrest. The man taken into custody was identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, according to three senior law enforcement officials. His identity was not released during Sunday’s news conference.
An AR-style rifle was recovered from the scene, law enforcement officials told NBC News. Alongside the fence by the rifle were two backpacks and a GoPro camera, Bradshaw said.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement that Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, was “safe” after the incident.
Trump left the golf course in his motorcade a couple of hours after the incident and headed back to his Mar-a-Lago resort, a source familiar with the matter said. He has since arrived at Mar-a-Lago, a separate source said.
A senior law enforcement official briefed on the incident told NBC News that Trump was on the golf course when what sounded like gunfire was heard in the near distance.
He was between the fifth and sixth holes on the golf course when the incident occurred, the source familiar with the matter said. Trump was golfing with his friend and donor Steve Witkoff, the source said.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe is traveling to Florida, according to two Secret Service officials. The previous Secret Service director, Kimberly Cheatle, stepped down after the previous assassination attempt on Trump in July.
Sunday’s incident will not affect Trump’s campaign schedule this week, a source said. Trump’s campaign had previously announced that he would hold a town hall in Flint, Michigan, on Tuesday. He is also scheduled to speak at campaign events in New York on Wednesday, followed by a speech in Washington, D.C., on Thursday and a rally in North Carolina on Saturday.
The second attempt on Trump’s life comes amid heightened partisan rhetoric and fears over political violence just 51 days before Election Day in a presidential race where polling consistently indicates a tight race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump’s campaign team sent a fundraising email citing the most recent incident. The email, signed by Trump, said is “resolve is only stronger after another attempt on my life.”
Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, said on X that Trump was “in good spirits.”
“Still much we don’t know, but for I’ll be hugging my kids extra tight tonight and saying a prayer of gratitude,” Vance said in the post.
About two months have passed since bullets whizzed by Trump’s head, one striking him in the ear, during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 when one supporter was killed and two were critically wounded. The gunman was shot dead by the Secret Service. During the chaos, Trump was surrounded by Secret Service agents, who escorted him offstage as he pumped his fist and mouthed “fight,” which has become a rallying cry among his supporters.
The campaign and Trump’s security apparatus altered his rallies after the Butler shooting. Trump’s team initially planned to stop holding outdoor rallies, but the Secret Service ultimately approved bulletproof glass to protect him at outdoor campaign events.
Politicians from both sides of the aisle condemned political violence Sunday and expressed gratitude that Trump was safe.
President Joe Biden said in a statement that he has been briefed on the situation, and that he was “relieved that the former President is unharmed.”
“As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country, and I have directed my team to continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety,” Biden said.
In a separate post on X, Harris said she had been briefed and added, “I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.” Her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, voiced a similar sentiment on X.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who ran against Trump in the Republican presidential primary before dropping out and endorsing him, said in a post to X that his state would conduct its own investigation, adding that “the people deserve the truth about the would be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a post to X that he spent “a few hours” with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday and called the former president “unstoppable.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., tweeted that “the perpetrator must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.