Donald Trump targeted in second apparent assassination attempt after Florida golf club incident

The Republican candidate for the upcoming presidential election was the subject of “what appears to be an attempted assassination” at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to the FBI. It comes just nine weeks after the former president was grazed by a bullet on the ear while speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania.

The FBI said that Trump is safe and unharmed after the US Secret Service opened fire on the suspect - a man who has been pointing an AK-style firearm towards the direction of Trump while he played golf. The man dropped the weapon, fled the scene at Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach in an SUV, but was later arrested in a neighbouring county.

The gun was recovered near the scene by Secret Service officials. No injuries were reported.

The suspect has subsequently been named as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, a self-employed house builder and who criticised Trump on social media. He previously hinted at voting for the former president in 2016, but has since donated to Democratic campaigns and stated that Trump no longer has his support, and is a strong supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia.

The golf club had been partially shut down on Sunday to allow Trump privacy to play a few rounds of his beloved sport. Secret Service agents were a few holes ahead of the ex-president when they spotted the suspect with the firearm.

In an email update to his supporters, Trump said: “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumours start spiralling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL! Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!”

He is said to have returned to his private Palm Beach club Mar-a-Lago following the incident. It was not immediately clear whether the incident would affect his presidential campaign schedule.

In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), his presidential opponent, Kamala Harris, said: “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.”

President Biden added: “I am relieved that the former President is unharmed. There is an active investigation into this incident as law enforcement gathers more details about what happened.

“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.”