FBI Treating Trump Shooting As 'Assassination Attempt'

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Sunday’s shooting in West Palm Beach, FLa., at the Trump National Golf Course is now being viewed as an assassination attempt by authorities.

President Donald Trump was playing golf at the course that shares his name and was about to finish the 5h hole. At 1:30 p.m., a man named Ryan Wesley Routh was 300-500 yards from the former president emerged with an AK-47 in hand, and he poked the muzzle of his gun through a chain link fence outside the golf course, Fox News reported. Without hesitating, Secret Service agents fired at a man who got out of a car and was brandishing the weapon according to Fox News. But once he was fired upon, the man fled the scene, and he was apprehended soon after, Fox News reported.

Former US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media in the spin room following the second presidential debate at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump sparred through their first debate, with the former president often on the defensive over abortion rights, the January 6 insurrection and on foreign policy. Photographer: Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Once authorities caught the man, they found two backpacks in his car along with a GoPro camera according to Fox News. After seeing all the information, the FBI is now treating this as an assassination attempt.

"The Secret Service, in conjunction with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, is investigating a protective incident involving former President Donald Trump that occurred shortly before 2 p.m. The former president is safe," the Secret Service confirmed in a post on X. 

This is the second assassination attempt Trump has encountered in the past three months, with the first coming at a rally in Butler, PA.

Fortunately, Trump released a statement on X saying that he was alright and in good spirits after the incident. Furthermore, no one else was harmed during the incident.

This is a developing story and we will add more details as they emerge.

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John Simmons graduated from Liberty University hoping to become a sports journalist. He’s lived his dream while working for the Media Research Center and can’t wait to do more in this field with Outkick. He could bore you to death with his knowledge of professional ultimate frisbee, and his one life goal is to find Middle Earth and start a homestead in the Shire. He’s still working on how to make that happen.