Donald Trump was taken to safety after multiple shots were fired nearby while he was playing golf at his West Palm Beach golf club.
The Secret Service is believed to have opened fire on the suspected gunman who began shooting outside the Trump International Golf Club, in another terrifying incident for the former president less than two months after the assassination attempt.
One suspect has been arrested, but the motive is not yet known.
Trump confirmed in a statement about an hour after the incident that he is “safe and well” and that he does not want the rumors to “get out of hand.”
“Nothing will stop me,” Trump wrote. “I will NEVER SURRENDER!”
Multiple police sources have confirmed to the media that an AK-47 was found at the crime scene and that he pointed the weapon at the golf course on Sunday afternoon before shots were fired at 2 p.m.
The armed suspect was positioned outside the club around the 5th and 6th holes, a source familiar with the incident told DailyMail.com that this is a ‘vulnerable’ part of the course.
In this area the undergrowth is cut every summer. It is one of the parts of the trail closest to the road.
Multiple shots were fired at Donald Trump’s golf club in West Pam Beach, Florida on Sunday
Palm Beach Sheriff’s Department vehicles were lined up outside Trump International Golf Club on Sunday after gunfire was reported near where the former president was golfing.
This comes after Trump’s security has been beefed up in the two months since the former president was shot in the ear during an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13.
Trump’s golf club is just five miles from his home, the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach. When the former president isn’t campaigning, he’s often spotted here.
New York City real estate investor and landlord Steve Witkoff was Trump’s golfing buddy on Sunday, sources told DailyMail.com.
The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office holds a press conference to provide updates on the shooting.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris said they were aware of the shooting and were “relieved” that he was not injured.
The White House said the president and vice president have been briefed on the security incident at the Trump International Golf Course, where former President Trump was playing golf.
“They are relieved that he is safe. They are being updated regularly by their team.”
Harris, who met Trump in person for the first time during their debate on Tuesday, responded to the shooting with a statement in which he shared the following punchline: “Violence has no place in America.”
“I have been made aware of reports of gunfire near former President Trump and his property in Florida and am glad he is safe,” she wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
When he’s not campaigning, Trump can often be found at his West Palm Beach golf club (pictured)
Trump speaks to DailyMail.com during an interview at his Mar-a-Lago club – just five miles away from his golf club where shots were fired on Sunday
U.S. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a message on X: “The Secret Service, in coordination with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, is investigating a protective incident involving former President Donald Trump that occurred shortly before 2:00 p.m.
“The former president is safe,” he assured, adding that the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office will provide more details about the incident.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he spoke with Trump shortly after the news broke.
“He is one of the strongest men I have ever known,” the senator wrote on X. “He is in good spirits and more determined than ever to save our country.”
It is not yet clear how many people were involved in Sunday’s shooting and whether they targeted the former president.
A bullet hit Donald Trump’s right ear during an assassination attempt on July 13 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania
Gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was killed by Secret Service agents after climbing onto a roof with an AR-15 just 400 feet from where Trump was speaking. He fired multiple shots, killing one rally attendee, seriously wounding two others and striking the former president.
But the mere report of shots fired near Trump has raised eyebrows, as multiple investigations are underway into the Pennsylvania shooting earlier this summer that left two people dead, including the shooter, and two seriously injured.
Trump suffered only a bloody ear in the attempted assassination. If the shot deviated a few millimeters and hit his head, it could have been fatal.
But 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, a potential assassin, was shot dead by the Secret Service before he could target the former president again.
After an initial investigation, authorities found his car near the protest site in Butler, packed with explosives. They found more bombs at his parents’ house.
Investigations are underway by Congress and other local and federal agencies to determine what led to the errors that allowed a gunman with an AR-15 rifle to get within a few hundred feet of Trump.
