Donald Trump ‘safe’ after gunshots fired outside ex-President’s Florida golf club weeks after assassination attempt
DONALD Trump is “safe” after gunshots were fired outside his Florida golf club while the ex-President was on site.
The Republican presidential candidate, 78, was at the National Golf Club in West Palm Beach when the incident took place.
In July, he narrowly survived an assassination attempt against him at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement: “President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity. No further details at this time.”
The statement did not give any additional details.
The business magnate was understood to be golfing at his Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach on at around 2pm on Sunday.
The club is just five miles from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach.
He is often spotted golfing there when he is not on the campaign trail.
Police Sheriff cars were seen along a Florida road, believed to be near the golf club.
A video was posted on X, formerly Twitter, by user @realDerekUtley, who wrote: “The roads to @realDonaldTrump golf club in West Palm are now closed with heavy police presence around the surrounding area after multiple gun shots were fired in his vicinity.
“The road closure is for several miles with law enforcement coordinating at any possible access point.”
The Secret Service is now investigating the shooting and confirmed that Trump is safe, The New York Post reports.
The American outlet also reported that two people appeared to have exchanged gunfire outside of Trump’s golf course.
The shooters were reportedly targeting each other and not the former US President, sources told The New York Post.
According to the insiders, Trump was never in danger, and the incident took place in a high-crime neighbourhood outside the club.
It comes just nine weeks after Thomas Matthew Crooks shot Trump at a rally on July 13.
Trump was left bloodied after a bullet pierced his ear at the open-air event in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was shot dead by Secret Service snipers shortly after opening fire.
While the former president survived the attack and is now safe, one supporter was killed and two others were critically injured.
The first shooting of a US 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 had been presenting a chart of border crossing numbers to the crowd when shots rang out.
Secret service agents rushed to the stage as footage from the event captured supporters screaming in panic.
The bangs continued as agents tended to Trump before the Republican presidential candidate got back up and pumped his fist.
Trump shouted “Fight! Fight!” before he was whisked to his motorcade to leave the venue.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump said: “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.
“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots.
“I immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead.”
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What US presidents have been assassinated or almost killed?
THROUGHOUT U.S. history, four presidents have been assassinated while in office, and several others survived assassination attempts.
These tragic events have had profound effects on the nation and led to significant changes in how presidential security is handled.
The first U.S. president to be assassinated was Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, on April 14, 1865. Just days after the Civil War ended, Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer, while attending a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Lincoln succumbed to his injuries the following day, leaving the country in shock during a pivotal time of reconstruction.
In 1881, James A. Garfield, the 20th president, was shot by Charles J. Guiteau, a disgruntled office seeker. Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881, at a train station in Washington, D.C., and suffered for months from infections caused by the wounds before dying on September 19, 1881. His death brought attention to the issues of medical care and political patronage.
The third assassination occurred in 1901, when William McKinley, the 25th president, was shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz during a public event at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. McKinley initially survived the shooting on September 6, 1901, but died from gangrene caused by his wounds on September 14. His death ushered in the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt and marked a turning point in how political violence was viewed.
The most recent assassination of a U.S. president occurred on November 22, 1963, when John F. Kennedy, the 35th president, was shot while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was killed by a sniper’s bullet, with Lee Harvey Oswald named as the official assassin. The event left a lasting impact on American society and continues to be the subject of much debate and conspiracy.
Several other U.S. presidents survived serious assassination attempts.
Andrew Jackson, the 7th president, faced the first recorded attempt in 1835, when Richard Lawrence tried to shoot him outside the U.S. Capitol. Remarkably, both of Lawrence’s pistols misfired, and Jackson defended himself with his cane.
In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt was shot while campaigning for a third term after his presidency. He survived because the bullet was slowed by his glasses case and a thick speech in his pocket, and he famously went on to finish his speech before seeking medical help.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, before taking office, narrowly avoided an attempt on his life in 1933. During a public event in Miami, Giuseppe Zangara fired at Roosevelt but missed, killing Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak instead.
Harry S. Truman faced a more organized attempt in 1950 when two Puerto Rican nationalists tried to storm Blair House, where he was staying. A gunfight ensued, but Truman was unharmed.
In 1975, Gerald Ford survived two assassination attempts within the same month. First, Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson, attempted to shoot him in Sacramento, California, but her gun failed to fire. Just 17 days later, Sara Jane Moore fired a shot at Ford in San Francisco but missed.
Lastly, in 1981, Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr. outside a hotel in Washington, D.C. Reagan was seriously injured but recovered after surgery, and the incident led to heightened security measures for future presidents.