FBI now investigating Florida incident as ‘an attempted assassination’ on Trump

Federal authorities are investigating an incident at Donald Trump’s Florida golf club on Sunday as an “attempted assassination,” a potential second attempt on the former president’s life in roughly two months.

Shots were fired near Trump, who was unharmed, while he was golfing at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Associated Press reported that Secret Service agents spotted an individual with a firearm near Trump’s golf club and opened fire.

An AK-style firearm was discovered near the golf course, the AP reported, and the suspect fled the scene.

Trump is “safe following gunshots in his vicinity,” according to Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung.

In a statement, the FBI said it is “investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump.” The incident took place at roughly 1:30 p.m., according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s opponent in the general election, were “briefed about the security incident at the Trump International Golf Course, where former President Trump was golfing,” a White House spokesperson said in a statement. “They are relieved to know that he is safe. They will be kept regularly updated by their team.”

The Trump campaign, which is also headquartered in West Palm Beach, is on lockdown, according to a person granted anonymity to discuss the situation. Trump International Golf Club was also locked down following the incident.

The shooting occurred just 64 days after Trump survived an assassination attempt while at an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

A spokesperson for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office did not answer questions about the incident, but said the sheriff will speak to reporters later Sunday afternoon in West Palm Beach.

Prior to this incident, people close to the former president have privately expressed concern about his safety while he is on the golf course. Although his country clubs in Florida and New Jersey are not open to the public, some of the boundaries of his courses are visible from the perimeter.

A suspect was apprehended shortly after he crossed the Palm Beach County line on Interstate 95, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. In a post on social media, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said deputies stopped a vehicle believed to be connected with the shooting incident after being alerted by Palm Beach County authorities.

Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity told viewers on that network that he spoke with Trump after the incident, and the former president told him he was on the fifth hole of the golf course. Trump was golfing with Steve Witkoff, a donor and friend of the former president.

“They heard, ‘Pop-pop, pop-pop,’” Hannity said. “Within seconds, the Secret Service pounced on the president, covered him. You had snipers with tripods — they knew the direction the shots had been fired, and they had eyes on the location the shots had been fired.”

Secret service agents “whisked the president away” in an armored vehicle, Hannity said.

Hannity said Trump confirmed that an AK-47 was found, and one individual got into a car after dropping the firearm. The former president was then taken to the clubhouse, according to Hannity, followed by all the others who were on the golf course with him.

“I really wanted to finish the hole. I was even [par], and I had a birdie putt,” Trump joked afterward, according to Hannity.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said in a post on X he spoke with Trump and he “is in good spirits and he is more resolved than ever to save our country.”

Republican lawmakers and other allies of the former president quickly condemned political violence and expressed gratitude for Trump’s safety.

“We cannot tolerate political violence in America,” Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn) wrote on X.

So, too, did at least one Democrat. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a foe of the former president who led the first impeachment proceedings against him, wrote that this “madness has got to stop. Violence is not the answer to our political differences.”

Josh Gerstein contributed to this report.