The Secret Service discovers an armed man in the bushes around Trump’s golf course. Shortly before the election, the Republican is apparently once again the target of an assassination attempt.
After shots were fired at former President Donald Trump’s golf club in Florida, fears of political violence are growing in the USA just weeks before the election. There are still many unanswered questions about what happened on Sunday in West Palm Beach and what the FBI sees as a possible further attack attempt on the Republican presidential candidate. But one thing is clear: the fear of an escalation of violence in the already heated US election campaign is enormous. The incident is once again putting America, its people and its democracy to the test.
The FBI believes that a man armed with an assault rifle tried to shoot Republican presidential candidate Trump while he was playing golf at his club on 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 away from Trump in the bushes at the fence around the golf course and opened fire. Trump was unharmed and the suspect was arrested a short time later.
Only in July there was a serious attack on Trump, when a gunman opened fire on Trump during a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania. The Republican was injured in the ear and a visitor was killed. Security forces killed the gunman, whose motive is still unclear. The incident marked a turning point in the election campaign. Politicians across party lines condemned all political violence.
Warnings against violence and blame
The incident in Florida was also followed by a condemnation of violence – but there were also dangerous provocations and blame. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris condemned political violence and warned: “We all have to do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to further violence.”
President Joe Biden said there is no place for political or any other kind of violence in America. He will ensure that the Secret Service has all the resources it needs to protect Trump. Biden also said on Monday that the Secret Service needs to be better equipped and appealed to Congress to make this possible.
Trump supporter Elon Musk caused horror with a reaction to X, which he deleted after a short time. On his online platform he wrote: “And no one is even trying to murder Biden/Kamala.” He put an emoticon with a thoughtful face behind the words.
Trump himself sent messages after the incident with calls for donations. “There are people in this world who are doing whatever it takes to stop us,” said one of these messages. “I will not give up fighting for you. I will never give up.” Right-wing influencer Laura Loomer, who has recently appeared on Trump’s side several times, wrote on X: “The media is trying to kill President Trump and his supporters.”
Motive of perpetrator still unclear
The man’s motive was unclear. Authorities have not yet released any official information about the suspect. According to media reports, he is a 58-year-old construction contractor from North Carolina who made political statements on social media – according to CNN, he was also critical of Trump. He is said to have fled the scene in a car, leaving the gun and a camera behind. He was arrested a short time later on a nearby highway.
The New York Times reported, citing police sources, that the man had recently moved to Hawaii. According to the newspaper, the suspect has publicly advocated support for Ukraine in its defensive struggle against Russia on several occasions. In a post on social media, he wrote that he was prepared to fight and die in Ukraine. It is unclear whether there is a connection between his political orientation and the incident in Florida.
Incident causes horror worldwide
Top politicians expressed their solidarity with Trump after the incident. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on Platform X: “Sara and I were shocked by the second assassination attempt against President Trump, and we were relieved to hear that it too failed. But we should not rely on luck alone.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also condemned the possible assassination attempt: “I am glad to hear that Donald Trump is safe and unharmed,” he wrote on X. He wished him and his family all the best. For Kyiv, it is clear that violence has no place in politics.
Political violence in the USA
Trump (78) will run against Democrat Harris (59), who is currently Biden’s vice president, in the presidential election on November 5. Polls so far indicate a very close race.
The incident once again 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 that the state would launch its own investigation 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.
