Former President Trump said in a fundraising email Sunday that he “will NEVER SURRENDER” in the wake of what the FBI described as an apparent assassination attempt.
“There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!” the former president said in the email sent Sunday.
“Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me,” Trump continued.
Trump communications director Steven Cheung said Sunday that “President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity.”
“No further details at this time,” Cheung added.
Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesperson, said on X that his agency is working alongside the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in looking into a “protective incident involving former President Donald Trump that occurred shortly before 2 p.m.”
Vice President Harris said Sunday on X that she has “been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe.”
“Violence has no place in America,” Harris added.
In mid-July, Trump faced an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania in which he was struck on one of his ears, with another man being killed in the same shooting.
The man in custody in connection with what is being described as a second attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump was vocal about U.S. support for Ukraine and has a long criminal and civil court history, including a conviction for possessing a machine gun.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was taken into custody after shots were fired at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, three senior law enforcement sources said. In 2002, court records show, he was convicted of possessing a weapon of mass destruction — the machine gun.
In that case, a man named Ryan Routh, 36 at the time, allegedly led authorities on a vehicle chase before he holed up at a roofing company in Greensboro, North Carolina, according to an account at the time by the Greensboro News & Record.
A person named Ryan Routh resided for decades in North Carolina, property records show. Most recently, a Ryan Routh lived in the small coastal community of Kaaawa on Oahu’s eastern shore in Hawaii. Authorities there did not immediately respond to an inquiry about any possible contacts with Routh.
After the 2002 arrest, authorities said they found the suspect in possession of a fully automatic machine gun, according to the Greensboro News & Record report. The arrest coincides with North Carolina criminal court records that include Routh’s conviction for possession of a weapon of mass destruction.
