The Secret Service discovers an armed man in the bushes around the golf course where Trump is hitting balls. Shortly before the election, the Republican is apparently once again the target of an assassination attempt.
Two months after the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, security forces have apparently foiled another attempted attack on the Republican. The FBI assumes that a man armed with an assault rifle wanted to attack Trump while he was playing golf at his club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Trump was unharmed and the suspect was arrested. If the suspicion of an attack is confirmed, this would be a further escalation in the already heated election campaign ahead of the presidential election on November 5th.
Secret Service discovers armed man in bushes
The incident occurred early Sunday afternoon (local time). The Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting high-ranking politicians in the USA, said it discovered the suspect a few hundred metres from Trump in the bushes at the fence around the golf course and opened fire. The suspect is said to have fled in a car and left the rifle and a camera behind. A short time later, he was arrested on a motorway near the crime scene. The man’s motive was unclear. The police stated that there was no danger to local residents.
There was a serious attack in July, when a gunman opened fire on Trump during a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania. The 78-year-old was injured in the ear and a visitor was killed. Security forces killed the gunman, whose motive is still unclear.
The incident marks a turning point in the election campaign. Politicians condemned political violence across party lines. Trump initially remained unusually reserved, but only a few days later he reverted to his usual aggressive rhetoric at the Republican Party Convention. After the attack in Butler, the head of the Secret Service resigned and security measures at Trump’s campaign events were tightened.
Harris: Violence has no place in America
The Republican wants to return to the White House after the election in November and is running against Democrat Kamala Harris. His opponent, Vice President of the USA since 2021, wrote after the incident in Florida: “Violence has no place in America.” Just last week, Harris and Trump had a heated exchange in a TV debate in which the Democrat repeatedly cornered the Republican.
Politically motivated aggression and violence during the election campaign is putting the country to the test. After the assassination in July, Trump’s running mate JD Vance quickly blamed US President Joe Biden for the assassination, despite the unclear motive. Trump used the attack to raise donations at the time, and his campaign team sold T-shirts with an iconic photo of the incident, in which Trump raises his fist with blood on his face.
Trump: I will fight for you
Again, it didn’t take long for Trump to send out messages asking for donations. “There are people in this world who will do whatever it takes to stop us,” said one of these messages. “I will not give up fighting for you. I will never give up.”
Ardent Trump supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on Platform X: “Dear Democrats and your activists in the media, are two attempted assassinations of Donald Trump already considered a ‘threat to democracy’?”
Democrats regularly warn that Trump poses a threat to democracy, but the statements suggest a constant wave of blame and harsh rhetoric rather than language of moderation in the face of political violence.
Political violence in the USA
The incident also raises questions about the safety of the presidential candidates. The suspect appears to have managed to get within a few hundred meters of Trump with a heavy weapon. The sheriff in charge said that Trump enjoys less protection than a sitting president. “He is not the sitting president – if he were, we would have surrounded the entire golf course,” he said.
Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis, who is supporting Trump in the election campaign, announced his own investigation into the state to uncover “the truth” about the incident.
Violence against high-ranking politicians has occurred time and again in the USA – even presidents have been targeted several times. In 1865, US President Abraham Lincoln was shot in the box of a theater in the capital Washington while watching a comedy. US President John F. Kennedy was shot in an assassination attempt on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. When President Ronald Reagan was shot in Washington in 1981, a bodyguard threw himself over him to protect him.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
