Trump Safe After Shots Fired 'In His Vicinity' at Florida Golf Club, FBI Investigating 'Attempted Assassination'
Former president Donald Trump is safe after multiple shots were fired "in his vicinity" as he golfed at his club in West Palm Beach, Florida, his campaign said Sunday. Law enforcement officials "believe an armed individual intended to target Trump," according to CNN.
An armed man positioned on the perimeter of the club stuck his rifle barrel through a fence before he was spotted by a Secret Service agent, who fired at the suspect, the network reported. A witness saw the man flee and get into a car, according to local law enforcement. The man was detained shortly after he drove into a neighboring county, and law enforcement officials found an "AK-47 style rifle with a scope," a GoPro, and two backpacks left behind where he was positioned.
The FBI and Secret Service are investigating the incident, which occurred shortly before 2 p.m.
"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 Sunday afternoon.
The White House said in a statement that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had been briefed about the incident and would be "kept regularly updated by their team."
An initial New York Post report following the incident suggested Trump was not targeted. CNN later contradicted that report, saying that while the armed man never fired shots, Secret Service agents believed he was "poised" to do so, "perhaps in the direction of the former president." They then shot at the man, who fled, "to prevent this from happening."
Trump was injured in an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania on July 13, just months ahead of the highly contested November election. The first shooting of a U.S. president or major party presidential candidate in more than four decades was a glaring security lapse that forced Kimberly Cheatle to resign as Secret Service director under bipartisan congressional pressure. Trump was shot in the right ear and one rallygoer was killed in the gunfire. The gunman, identified as a 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper.
In the wake of the shooting, top Democrats called for "unity" and cooler political rhetoric. Shortly after the Sunday incident, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) tweeted, "Extreme MAGA Republicans are the party of a national abortion ban and Trump’s Project 2025. We must stop them." He followed that message up two hours later with a post stating, "Political violence has no place in a democratic society."
Rachel Vindman, the sister-in-law of Virginia Democratic congressional nominee and former Trump whistleblower Eugene Vindman, joked about both assassination attempts on Sunday. "No ears were harmed. Carry on with your Sunday afternoon," she tweeted. She also issued a follow-up post, though hers did not denounce violence.
"Sorry you're triggered," Vindman wrote. "I mean no I'm not. I don't care a little bit."
This is a developing story and will be updated with additional information.
The post Trump Safe After Shots Fired 'In His Vicinity' at Florida Golf Club, FBI Investigating 'Attempted Assassination' appeared first on .