Secret service faces MORE questions after second assassination attempt of Donald Trump saw gunman Ryan Wesley Routh get within 300 to 500 yards of former president - weeks after his detail was bolstered in wake of first attempt in Pennsylvania
New questions are being raised over the Secret Services protective capabilities after a gunman was spotted hiding in the bushes yesterday as former president Donald Trump played golf in Florida.
New questions are being raised over the Secret Services protective capabilities after a gunman was spotted hiding in the bushes yesterday as former president Donald Trump played golf in Florida.
Agents opened fire on would-be shooter named as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh after eagle-eyed agents detected him pointing a rifle through a fence lining Trumps private golf club in West Palm Beach a few hundred yards away from the president.
The FBI described it as an apparent attempted assassination on the GOP nominee.
While the Secret Service has been praised for its swift action in foiling the attempted attack on the presidential nominee, Trumps allies have said further measures have to be taken to protect him, with Republicans demanding that Trump receive the same security as President Joe Biden.
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, the House Republican Conference chair and a close ally of the former president, said she was grateful Trump was safe. However, we must ask ourselves how an assassin was allowed to get this close to President Trump again? she asked in a statement.
Ryan Routh, who allegedly tried to shoot Donald Trump at one of his Florida golf courses, is taken into custody on Sept. 15, 2024
Now-deleted Facebook profile of Ryan Routh, who allegedly tried to shoot Donald Trump at one of his Florida golf courses yesterday
Secret Service agents yesterday foiled an assassination attempt on Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump while he played golf in Florida
The leaders of the bipartisan task force that has been investigating the security failures in Pennsylvania said they were monitoring the situation and had requested a briefing from the Secret Service.
We are thankful that the former President was not harmed, but remain deeply concerned about political violence and condemn it in all of its forms, said Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., in a joint statement.
Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of Trumps rivals in the GOP primary, said his state will conduct its own investigation.
The people deserve the truth about the would be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee, he wrote in a social media post.
This comes after West Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said in a press conference after yesterdays events that had Trump been in office, his security would have been much tighter.
At this level that he is at right now, hes not the sitting president, Bradshaw said. If he was, we would have had this entire golf course around it.
But because hes not, security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.
He continued: I would imagine that the next time he comes to a golf course, therell probably be a little bit more people around the perimeter. But the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done.
Routh, 58 is in custody after the terrifying incident at Trump International Club almost exactly two months after a separate assassination attempt against Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania
This comes after a bullet struck Donald Trumps right ear during an assassination attempt on July 13 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania
This comes just two months after Trump was grazed in the ear by a bullet when a gunman was able to gain access to an unsecured roof at his Butler, Pennsylvania rally in July, unleashing a hail of bullets that left one supporter dead and two others badly injured.
An internal investigation by the Secret Service confirmed that multiple catastrophic security breakdowns took place ahead of the attempted assassination of Trump back in July, with a new report calling the entire operation to protect the former president alarmingly slipshod and its communications system having significant weaknesses.
Secret service came under intense criticism following the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump, resulting in agents having to beef up protective measures to protect the former president, including having additional agents on-site as well as more on-the-ground intelligence.
These actions played a role in foiling the attempted attack on Trump this weekend, officials have said.
Trump himself took to social media yesterday shortly after the golf course was secured to praise the Secret Service and authorities for his incredible job.
I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes - It was certainly an interesting day!
Most importantly, I want to thank the US Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his Office of brave and dedicated Patriots, and, all of Law Enforcement, for the incredible job done today at Trump International in keeping me, as the 45th President of the United States, and the Republican Nominee in the upcoming Presidential Election, SAFE.
THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! he concluded.
However the fact that a gunman was able to get so close to the Republican presidential candidate has highlighted how issues exposed in Butler have not been resolved, and has raised questions about the secret services ability to respond to an increasingly unpredictable violent political environment.
While the Secret Service has grappled with how to keep Trump safe as he campaigns across the country, holding rallies that often draw thousands, less attention has focused on his protection when he is off the trial, often at his own clubs and properties.
Law enforcement personnel investigate the area around Trump International Golf Club after an apparent assassination attempt
Officials said U.S. Secret Service agents spotted a rifle barrel sticking out of the bushes two holes ahead of where Trump was golfing on Sunday, prompting the agents to fire at the suspect
The fact that there are places long the perimeter of the property where golfers - including Tump - are visible to those standing behind the fence has long been known to law enforcement. While Trump was president, news photographers were often able to capture images of him on the greens by finding gaps in the shrubbery.
While Trumps plans to golf Sunday were not part of any public schedule, on days he is not campaigning, he can often be found golfing at one of his courses.
Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach, about a 10-minute drive from his Mar-a-Lago residence, is a favourite. One of three golf clubs he owns in Florida, it boasts 27 holes of championship golf, as well as event spaces. Trump often eats lunch and holds meetings in the clubhouse between rounds.
