In the moments after gunfire rang out at the Trump International Golf Club, former President Donald Trump wanted to pull a vintage move but ultimately decided against it.
Trump’s first public comment Sunday was a pre-scheduled appearance on X Spaces (a livestreamed virtual meeting on Elon Musk’s social media platform) that happened hours after the second assassination attempt on the 45th president in West Palm Beach, Florida, was foiled.
Speaking of the “beautiful” Sunday afternoon, Trump said it was a normal golf outing with friends until chaos erupted.
“And all of a sudden we heard shots being fired in the air, and I guess probably four or five, and it sounded like bullets,” Trump said in the virtual meeting, according to The Post Millennial.
“But what do I know about that?” the former president joked.
Trump said Secret Service agents “knew immediately” the sound of gunfire and rushed to grab the former president, saying the elite guards “did a fantastic job.”
Before being moved off the course, Trump said there was one thing he would have liked to do – and it would have been a classic move from him.
“I would have loved to have sank that last putt,” Trump said.
Ultimately, Trump and others decided it would be best to leave the area without driving their golf balls any farther.
Will there be another attempt on Trump’s life?
Yes: 93% (545 Votes)
No: 7% (43 Votes)
The alleged gunman, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, wasn’t able to fire off any rounds himself. The gunfire Trump and others heard was from a Secret Service agent reacting to a gun barrel he saw among hedges lining the course.
Routh was able to escape the initial hail of gunfire, but was arrested by local authorities shortly thereafter.
Real estate developer Steve Witkoff, a friend of Trump who was golfing with the former president when the shots rang out, says he is “blessed” to have been present during the chaos.
“I actually feel blessed that I was there yesterday,” Witkoff explained to Sean Hannity one day after the attempt on Trump’s life. “And the reason I feel blessed is that I got to see what it’s like for my dear friend to live his normal life.
“His normal life, which is punctuated by two attempts to assassinate him in the last 60 days, being vilified since he left the presidency, falsely accused [and] harassed.”
The situation in Florida follows an attempt on Trump’s life that was much closer to succeeding.
On July 13, alleged gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks fired a volley at the former president during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump and others nearby were struck by bullets, and one man died from the gunfire.
Crooks was killed in a furious hail of return fire, which disabled his gun, fragged his face and body and left him dead on a rooftop.
With less than two months to go before the 2024 elections, it certainly looks and feels like a target will remain on Trump’s back for the foreseeable future.
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