FBI: Secret Service stops 2nd Trump assassination try

Palm Beach sheriff shows photo of rifle and backpack gunman left at Donald Trump's golf course

(Image credit: Joe Raedle / Getty Images)

What happened

Donald Trump narrowly avoided what "appears to be an attempted assassination" Sunday afternoon at his golf club in Palm Beach, Florida, the FBI said. A Secret Service agent scoping the course ahead of Trump saw a rifle barrel sticking out of bushes by the perimeter fence and fired several shots, prompting the gunman to drop his "AK-27-style" rifle and flee in his car, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters. Police apprehended the suspected gunman an hour later.

Who said what

The Secret Service "significantly bolstered" Trump's protective detail after coming under "intense criticism" for failing to stop a gunman from firing at him in July, The New York Times said. The "beefed-up detail" may have "played a role" in foiling this plot, but "urgent problems" clearly remain "unresolved." The reported suspect, Ryan Routh, 58, is a self-employed builder with a criminal record and social media posts suggesting he's a soured former Trump supporter.

Bradshaw said the gunman was about 400-500 meters from Trump, which is "not a long distance" with the rifle and targeting scope found at the scene. Because Trump isn't president, "security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible," he said, and though the agents "did a fantastic job," the next time Trump uses the course, "there will probably be a little more people around the perimeter." The Secret Service has "long viewed" golf courses as a "vulnerability," The Wall Street Journal said. The risks are "especially pronounced with Trump," who golfs often and mostly at "courses he owns."

Trump said in a fundraising email yesterday that "nothing will slow me down" and "I will never surrender!" Democratic leaders, including President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, condemned all "political violence." Harris said she was "deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt" and is "thankful" Trump "is safe."

What next?

Trump has not announced any changes to his schedule. Biden said, and Harris reiterated, that the White House would "continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former president's continued safety."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.