Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the entire golf course would have been lined with law enforcement if Trump was the sitting president, but because he’s not, “security is limited to the areas that the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.”
“I would imagine that the next time he comes to the golf course, there will probably be a little more people around the perimeter, Bradshaw said. “But the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done, they provided exactly what the protection should have been and their agent did a fantastic job.”
Former presidents and their spouses have Secret Service protection for life, but the security posture around former presidents varies depending on threat levels and exposure, with the toughest typically being in the immediate aftermath of their leaving office.
Trump’s protective detail has been higher than some of his peers because of his high visibility and his campaign to seek the White House again. His security was bolstered days before the July assassination attempt in Pennsylvania because of a threat on Trump’s life from Iran, U.S. officials said.26 min ago
By ADRIANA GÓMEZ LICÓN
Trump’s running mate JD Vance posted on X that he spoke to the former president before the news became public and said “he was, amazingly, in good spirits.”
Vance said there was still a lot “we don’t know” about the incident.32 min ago
Dave Aronberg, state attorney for Palm Beach County, said his prosecutors are working up warrant and pretrial detention applications. Aronberg indicated the suspect will initially be charged at the state level, but could also be charged with federal crimes.
“Our filing of the warrant and charges at the state level does not preclude the federal charges that could be coming,” Aronberg said. “But in the meantime, it looks like the warrants and a pretrial detention motion will happen first.”Advertisement33 min ago
Teri Barbera, a spokesperson for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, said there was only one person of interest in the investigation who was being interrogated. Barbera did not have information about a possible motive.
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Photos shared by law enforcement show two black bags hanging from a chain-link fence in the shrubbery outside the course, with the firearm propped up in between them and pointed through a gap in the fence. The GoPro camera was hanging on the fence to the side.
The incident raises new questions about how to keep the former president safe — not only while he is campaigning across the country, but while he spends time at his own clubs and properties.
Unlike typical VIPs, who live in private residences with tall fences, Trump, while in Florida, resides in a club open to dues-paying members, and often spends his downtime at his golf courses.39 min agoBy THE ASSOCIATED PRESSShare
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the gunman had an AK-style rifle with a scope, two backpacks hanging on a fence and a GoPro camera.
Bradshaw said he was about 400 to 500 yards away from Trump hidden in shrubbery while the former president played golf on a nearby hole. The backpacks had ceramic tile in them, Bradshaw said.
The suspect’s belongings are being processed, Bradshaw said.
A Secret Service agent walking on the golf course a hole ahead of where Trump was playing spotted the rifle sticking out of the fence and immediately opened fire, Bradshaw said.
The agent fired four to six rounds, a Secret Service official said. The suspect then fled. A witness who took a picture of the suspect’s vehicle and license plate number provided it to law enforcement officers.
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Trump’s golf course is surrounded by shrubbery. If somebody gets into the shrubbery, they’re pretty much out of sight, Bradhsaw says.
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By JILL COLVIN
Fox News host Sean Hannity, a close friend of the former president, said on air that he spoke with both Trump and his golf partner, Steve Witkoff, after the incident.
They told Hannity that they had been on the fifth hole and about to go up to putt when they heard a “pop, pop, pop, pop.” Within seconds, he said Witkoff recounted, U.S. Secret Service agents “pounced on” Trump and “covered him” to protect him.
Moments later, he said a “fast cart” with steel reinforcement and other protection was able to whisk Trump away.
Hannity said Trump’s reaction after this happened — and when it was clear everyone, including Witkoff, was safe — was to quip that he was sad he hadn’t been able to finish the hole since he “was even and had a birdie putt.”
Trump is back at Mar-a-Lago after shots were fired at his golf course, according to a person familiar with the events who spoke on condition of anonymity as the response was unfolding.
3:42 PM GMT-5By MEG KINNARD
The FBI said Sunday that agents were investigating “what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump.”
3:41 PM GMT-5By MICHELLE L. PRICE
News reporters were not with Trump on Sunday. Bucking tradition, Trump’s campaign has not arranged to have a protective pool of reporters travel with him, as is standard for major party nominees and for the office of the president.
A traveling pool of reporters, who rotate in and represent the broader news media, is designed to ensure there is independent and speedy information getting out to the public about the candidate or the president’s happenings and whereabouts, especially in the case of an emergency.
In July, when Secret Service agents whisked Trump away from his rally after surviving a gunman’s assassination attempt, no pool of reporters was taken with him.
Trump’s campaign did not release any information about the former president or his condition for over two hours after releasing an initial statement saying he was fine and being checked out at a medical facility.