NEW YORK — A second apparent assassination attempt about former president Donald Trump — this time while he was playing golf in Florida — has rocked a presidential campaign already marked by unprecedented violence and raised questions about how something like this could happen for the second time in as many months.
Agents of the United States Secret Service opened fire on sunday afternoon on a man who was seen carrying an AK-style rifle through a fence while hiding in bushes while Trump was golfing at his West Palm Beach club. The FBI described it as an attempted assassination of the GOP candidate.
At a rally in Pennsylvania in July, Trump was hit in the ear by a bullet when a shooter was able to gain access to an unsecured roof, which sparked a hail of bullets, killing one Trump supporter and seriously injuring two others.
While the Secret Service struggles with how to protect Trump as he campaigns across the country and hosts rallies that often draw thousands of people, there has been less focus on protecting him when he is off the road, often at his own clubs and on his own turf.
The fact that there are spots along the perimeter of the course where golfers — including Trump — are visible to those behind the fence has long been known to law enforcement. When Trump was president, news photographers were often able to capture images of him on the greens by finding gaps in the brush.
While Trump’s plans to play golf on Sunday were not part of a public schedule, he is often found at one of his courses on days when he is not campaigning. Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, about a 10-minute drive from his Mar-a-Lago home, is a favorite. It is one of three golf courses he owns in Florida, with 27 holes of championship golf and event space. Trump often eats lunch and holds meetings in the clubhouse between rounds.
Trump had just returned from a trip to the West Coast, which included stops in Las Vegas and Utah, and had announced on social media that he Monday to give speech from Mar-a-Lago about cryptocurrency as he launches a new crypto platform.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said during a briefing that security protocols around the track have been relaxed now that Trump is out of office.
“He’s not the sitting president. If he were, we would have this entire golf course surrounded. But because he’s not, his security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible,” he told reporters.
Law enforcement officials praised the work of officers assigned to protect Trump. One officer, who was assigned to jump a hole in front of the former president to spot potential threats, saw the barrel of the shooter’s gun sticking out of the fence surrounding the golf course and “immediately went to engage that individual,” Bradshaw said.
In an email to campaign staff on Sunday night, senior campaign advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles praised the Secret Service for saving Trump. Trump praised his own security detail for their bravery as they rushed to the stage to protect him in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“President Trump and all those accompanying him are safe thanks to the great work of the United States Secret Service,” they wrote.
Unlike other former presidents and typical VIPs who live in private homes with high fences or in gated communities, Trump has his official residence at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach. The club is open to dues-paying members, who mingle with the former president at meals and events and can invite their own guests to the grounds.
Many nights, Trump holds court on the club’s terrace, where he DJs on his iPad. When he was president, he once planned a response to a North Korean missile launch from the candlelit terrace. The meeting was captured and posted on social media by a club member.
The club is also a popular Palm Beach venue and constantly hosts fundraisers, weddings and other events, sometimes with Trump dropping by unannounced.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a social media post that the agency is working closely with the FBI, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies to investigate what happened.
The incident immediately led to accusations and calls from Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill for answers.
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, chair of the House Republican Conference and a close ally of the former president, said she was grateful that Trump was safe. “But we have to ask ourselves, how did a murderer get so close to President Trump again?”
Leaders of the bipartisan task force investigating security problems in Pennsylvania said they were closely monitoring the situation and had asked the Secret Service for a briefing.
“We are grateful that the former president was not injured, but we remain deeply concerned about political violence and condemn it in all its forms,” Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., said in a joint statement.
Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of Trump’s rivals in the Republican Party primaries, has said his state will conduct its own investigation.
“The people deserve the truth about the potential assassin and how he got within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP candidate,” he wrote in a social media post.
President Joe Biden said in a statement that he was “relieved” that Trump was unharmed and said “there is no place for political violence or any violence in our country.” He said he had directed his staff “to ensure that the Secret Service has all the resources, capabilities and protective measures necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety.”
