Republican Vice-Presidential Nominee Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) reported that former President Donald Trump is in “good spirits” after what the FBI reports to be a second assassination attempt on the former president in just two months. Vance took to Twitter Sunday afternoon to share he spoke with Trump before the news of the gunshots at Trump International Golf Course in Palm Beach became public.
I’m glad President Trump is safe,” Vance wrote in a post on Twitter. I spoke to him before the news was public and he was, amazingly, in good spirits.” The senator added, “Still much we don’t know, but I’ll be hugging my kids extra tight tonight and saying a prayer of gratitude.
As Breitbart News reported, citing authorities, a U.S. Secret Service agent engaged a man who was stationed a hole ahead of Trump on the course: A U.S. Secret Service agent, per the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office, engaged a man who had an AK-47-style rifle with a scope and backpacks and a Go-Pro. The agent apparently shot at the man, who then fled into a black Nissan and took off. A witness, per the sheriff’s office, saw the man fleeing and the vehicle and took pictures of it and the vehicle’s tag. Law enforcement were able to encounter the man and take him into custody on I-95 in Martin County, Florida.
Apparently, the agents from the Secret Service travel a hole or two ahead of Trump when he’s golfing to secure the area, and that’s how the U.S. Secret Service was able to encounter the man before he was able to get shots off against Trump. While taking questions at a press conference alongside the U.S. Secret Service and the FBI, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said that the suspect was approximately 300-500 yards away from Trump. But with a rifle and a scope like that, that’s not a long distance,” Bradshaw said.
The FBI confirmed in a statement that it is investigating what it believes to be an attempt on Trump’s life. The ordeal comes two months after Trump was shot in the ear and nearly assassinated at a rally on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania. After being shot, he emerged pumping his fist while shouting, “Fight!” as the Secret Service rushed him to safety. Just days later, he accepted the Republican presidential nomination in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a triumphant record-breaking speech.