Former U.S. President Donald Trump revealed his firsthand experience with two assassination attempts during a speech at his Florida golf resort.
Attempt at a Florida Golf Course
On Sunday, a man identified as Ryan Routh aimed what appeared to be an AK-47 rifle at Donald Trump from some 400 to 500 yards away. The suspect hid in the vegetation around Trump’s West Palm Beach golf resort and was detected by Secret Service agents, who shot at him as he tried to escape.
The 58-year-old suspect, Routh, was subsequently charged with two firearm-related offenses after appearing in a West Palm Beach court on Monday.
Trump’s Reaction to the Threat
Donald Trump gave his own account of the incident during a speaking engagement on X Spaces on Monday. As he launched his new cryptocurrency platform, World Liberty Financial from Mar-a-Lago, Trump suggested he had been saved from the two attempts on his life because God wanted him to “save the country.”
The Republican Party pins the blame on failures within Department of the Homeland Security’s leadership and the Democrats’ rhetoric about Trump for the threats he has faced.
Previous Attempt on Trump’s Life
Before the Sunday event, just nine weeks ago, Trump survived an earlier assassination attempt when a sniper shot him in the ear during a Pennsylvania rally.
Trump’s Remarks Enrage Firefighters Union
On Friday, in a statement that incurred the wrath of the president of the California Firefighters Union, the former president suggested that he could block federal firefighting aid if California failed to align with his political priorities.
Brian K. Rice, the Union’s president, slammed Trump for his threats in a strongly-worded Facebook statement. He pronounced Trump should be “ashamed” of having raised the notion of withholding disaster-assistance funding.
Backlash on Trump Media Stocks
The subsequent assassination attempt against the ex-president had a direct impact on his business. Shares in Trump Media and Technology Group Corp, the parent company of Truth Social, reportedly fell by nearly 4 percent on Monday, as per CNBC.
Calls for Greater Media Coverage
Eric Trump, in an interview with Fox News on Monday, claimed mainstream media underreported the assassination attempts against his father. He argued that the media offered more coverage to the Oscars’ incident featuring celebrities Will Smith and Chris Rock, than to the assassination attempts on the former president.
Biden Responds to Assassination Attempt
U.S. president Joe Biden condemned political violence after learning about the recent attempt on Trump’s life in Florida. It was a sentiment echoed by other politicians and prominent personalities in the nation.