US presidential elections 2024: Donald Trump recounts golf course assassination attempt in X Spaces conversation

Former US President and Republican nominee in the 2024 race Donald Trump has spoken about the recent assassination attempt on him that took place on Sunday at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.

In an X Spaces conversation on Monday, Trump praised the US Secret Service, law enforcement, and a civilian witness whose quick actions helped lead to the suspect’s capture. Trump, who was playing golf at the time, described how the situation unfolded and acknowledged the danger he faced.

“I was playing golf with some of my friends; it was on a Sunday morning, very peaceful, very beautiful weather. And all of a sudden we heard shots being fired in the air, maybe four or five, and it sounded like bullets,” Trump said during the conversation. “The Secret Service knew immediately it was bullets, and they grabbed me,” he added, praising the quick action of his protective detail.

Trump explained how he and his friends were rushed into golf carts by the Secret Service and escorted off the course.

“We got into the carts, and we moved along pretty good. I was with an agent, and the agent did a fantastic job. There was no question that we were off that course. I would have loved to have sunk that last putt, but we decided, let’s get out of here.”

Trump then described how one Secret Service agent responded by firing shots toward the suspected gunman.

“The agent saw the barrel of the gun through the bushes. He started shooting at the barrel, started shooting in the bushes. Could only see the barrel. How good is that? Right? Could only see the barrel,” Trump recalled. “Based on that, he started shooting and ran toward the target and was shooting a lot. Those were the shots we heard. The other one [the suspect] never got a shot off.”

Trump also praised a civilian witness, a woman, whose quick thinking helped law enforcement track down the suspect.

“The civilian did a phenomenal job. A woman. I mean, who would think? You could take a thousand times like that, how many people would have the brainpower to follow him and take pictures of the back of his truck so that they end up getting him? The key was the license plate. After they had the license, you know, there’s all sorts of technology where they can literally pinpoint where this truck is.”

This is not the first time Trump has been targeted in an assassination bid. In July, he was shot at during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a bullet grazed his ear but missed his head.

SUSPECT ARRESTED AND CHARGED

Law enforcement later identified the suspect behind the second assassination attempt as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh. He has been charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

According to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, the suspect was within 500 yards of Trump at the time of the incident but never fired a shot. The Secret Service confirmed that Routh had no direct line of fire at the former president.

On Monday, Routh appeared in federal court, facing charges related to the incident. Prosecutors are seeking to keep him in custody while the investigation continues, and additional charges may be filed.

During the X Spaces conversation, Trump also revealed that President Joe Biden had called him earlier in the day to check on his well-being.

“He was very nice today, he called up to make sure I was OK, to make sure that, you know, do I have any suggestions or any—. We do need more people on my detail because we have 50, 60,000 people showing up to events, and, you know, other people don’t have that, but he couldn’t have been nicer,” Trump said.

While acknowledging Biden’s call, Trump also directed some blame at the president and his 2024 election rival Vice President Kamala Harris, claiming their rhetoric contributed to the apparent assassination attempt. “Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at,” Trump stated. “They are the real threat.”

In response to the incident, President Biden told reporters on Monday that he plans to request additional resources for the Secret Service from Congress. “I want Congress to give the Secret Service more help,” Biden said, after being briefed on the situation.