MSNBC analyst offers surprising advice for Trump about his golf game after second assassination attempt
An MSNBC analyst has suggested that Donald Trump should give up golf after an alleged second assassination attempt in less than two months.
The would-be assassin is said to have pointed an AK-47 at the former president on Sunday afternoon while at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach.
The alleged shooter has been identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, a registered Democrat from Hawaii, who is now in custody.
Frank Figliuzzi, an MSNBC national security contributor, said the Secret Service may ask Trump to stop golfing and believes the former president should comply.
“Will Donald Trump, if he is encouraged by the Secret Service to stop playing golf or to change golf courses or something that is much more protected, comply with that? I think I would follow the advice of security professionals in the remaining weeks, no matter what they say,” Figliuzzi said.
A gunman pointed an AK-47 at the former president while he was playing golf at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach on Sunday
Frank Figliuzzi (pictured), an MSNBC national security contributor, said Trump could be asked by the Secret Service to stop golfing
Officials said the shooter was able to get close to Trump at his Florida golf course because he does not have the same security as a sitting president.
The suspect was able to approach Trump within 300 to 500 yards and positioned himself outside the club, around the 5th and 6th holes. This is a more ‘vulnerable’ part of the course, as it is closest to the road.
The incident comes as Trump has ramped up security in the two months since the former president was shot in the ear during an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler on July 13.
Figliuzzi said Trump’s security team will have a conversation about how to keep him safe at outdoor events and suggested he not go to them again.
“There is an inevitable meeting with protectees from across the intelligence spectrum about open-air events. This is going to happen, I guarantee you. The question I can’t answer now is whether every protectee is going to go along with the program,” he said.
The suspect was able to get within 300 to 500 yards of Trump and was stationed outside the club around the 5th and 6th holes
The potential killer has been identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, a registered Democrat, and is now in custody
Footage revealed the backpack, GoPro camera and AK-47-style rifle left behind by the shooter
“We already live in a society where our nominees, our vice presidential candidates, speak from behind bulletproof glass at open-air rallies. How far can this go?”
He said the Secret Service may ask him to stop golfing because they can’t afford to increase their security.
“To what extent can we fund the Secret Service, if at all, to put a ton of drones up in the sky to film golf courses, concerts, gatherings from the air? Is this going to be the norm?” Figliuzzi said.
‘Where do you put your perimeter? How many officers, how many police officers do you need? Do you need a whole square acre, do you need miles of perimeter?
“These are questions that are almost impossible to answer because they are too expensive and require too many resources.”