Donald Trump out of danger after shooting near his golf course

Earlier this evening, Donald Trump’s campaign team reassured the public that the Republican candidate was safe, following an exchange of gunfire near his favourite golf course in Florida. Although it is still unclear whether the former president was the direct target, Martin County police quickly apprehended a suspect, while the FBI is referring to a possible ‘assassination attempt’ against him.

Rapid intervention by the police
While Donald Trump was playing a round of golf with a major donor to his campaign, a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle barrel through a fence 300 to 500 metres away from the President. The agent opened fire, causing the suspect to flee. Thanks to a witness who reported the vehicle’s number plate, the police were able to arrest the individual a few minutes later. ‘We recovered an AK-47 rifle, two backpacks and a GoPro camera’, said the sheriff, adding that the suspect remained silent after his arrest.

Reactions and context
Donald Trump quickly reassured his supporters in a fundraising email, in which he declared: ‘I’m fine and I’m safe! (…) I will NEVER back down!’ His rival for the presidential election, Kamala Harris, also reacted on Twitter by condemning all forms of violence, reiterating that ‘violence has no place in America’.

This incident follows a first assassination attempt in July, during a rally in Pennsylvania, where Trump was slightly injured. This precedent led to the resignation of the head of the Secret Service and the suspension of several agents involved in the former president’s security.