Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio said former President Donald Trump is in “high spirits” after what the FBI reports is the second assassination attempt on the former president in just two months.
Vance appeared on “X” on Sunday afternoon and revealed that he spoke with Trump before news of the shooting at Trump International Golf Course in Palm Beach on Sunday afternoon became public.
“I'm glad President Trump is safe. “I spoke with him before the news went public and he was in surprisingly good spirits,” Vance wrote in X's post.
“There is still much we don't know, but tonight I will hold my children even tighter than usual and say a prayer of thanks,” he added.
A US Secret Service agent engaged in a fight with a man who was positioned on the course one hole in front of Trump, Breitbart News reported, citing authorities.
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Secret Service agents engaged a man who was carrying a scoped AK-47-style rifle, a backpack and a Go-Pro. Agents appear to have fired shots at the man, who then fled in a black Nissan. Witnesses saw the man flee and took photos of the vehicle and license plate, according to the sheriff's office. Police encountered and detained the man on Interstate 95 in Martin County, Florida.
Apparently, when Trump was playing golf, Secret Service agents were one or two holes ahead of Trump to secure the area, thus allowing the US Secret Service to encounter the man before shooting Trump.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw, answering questions at a press conference alongside the Secret Service and FBI, said the suspect was about 300 to 500 yards away from Trump.
“But with a rifle and a scope, you're not going to get very far,” Bradshaw said.
As reported by Breitbart News, the FBI confirmed in a statement that it is investigating what appears to be an assassination attempt on President Trump.
“The FBI is currently in West Palm Beach, Florida investigating what appears to be an assassination attempt on former President Trump,” the bureau said in a statement Sunday.
The incident came two months after Trump was shot in the ear and nearly assassinated at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. After the shooting, Trump was seen raising his fist and yelling “Fight!” as he was carried to a secure location by Secret Service agents.
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Just a few days later, he accepted the Republican presidential nomination in a record-breaking victory speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
