Trump’s intriguing take on surviving second assassination attempt as he praises Secret Service and cops for saving his life at Florida golf course

Donald Trump broke his silence hours after surviving a second assassination attempt on his life while playing golf at his Florida course.

The Republican presidential candidate shared his intriguing take on the “interesting day” on Truth Social, praising the Secret Service and law enforcement for their “incredible work.”

‘I want to thank everyone for your involvement and good wishes. It was definitely an interesting day!’

“Most importantly, I want to thank the United States Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his office of brave and dedicated patriots, and all of law enforcement for the incredible work they did today at Trump International to keep me, as the 45th President of the United States and the Republican nominee for the upcoming presidential election, SAFE.

“THE JOB WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!” Trump wrote.

Around 1:30 p.m., West Palm Beach police were notified of shots fired by the Secret Service after an agent spotted the gunman in the bushes near Trump International Golf Club at Mar-a-Lago, West Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said.

At the time, the alleged shooter, registered Democrat Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was approximately 300-500 yards away from the 45th president, who was golfing between holes five and six.

The terrifying threat to the former president was noticed by a Secret Service agent, who saw something strange protruding from the fencing surrounding the golf course.

Danger was confirmed when they suddenly realized it was a rifle barrel with a scope. The officer “immediately went into action” and fired four to six rounds at Routh.

Bradshaw said the officer who saw the gun is part of a team that stays a hole or two ahead of Trump on the course.

The former president was taken to safety, while Routh fled.

A witness then saw the alleged shooter drive away in his car and took photographs of his license plates before handing them over to police.

Daniel Rodriguez, who was driving back from Orlando with his family after a soccer game on I-95, said CNN He witnessed the “wild scene” when sheriff’s deputies arrested Routh.

“We noticed several officers behind us speeding up,” Rodriguez said.

“We saw a black Nissan speeding up and merging into and out of traffic. We saw a helicopter flying through the air and many more police officers starting to appear. Then a police officer stopped and stopped the lane.”

During his arrest, Routh showed little emotion and remained calm as he was taken into custody.

Martin County Sheriff William Synder said, “He never asked, ‘What’s this about?’ Obviously, it’s law enforcement, long guns, blue lights, a lot going on. He never asked any questions about it.”

Bradshaw said Trump’s golf course is surrounded by shrubbery, making it difficult to see people inside.

He told reporters at a news conference that the Secret Service had a “limited” ability to protect Trump on the golf course.

“The golf course is surrounded by brush, so if someone climbs into the brush, they’re pretty much out of sight. And at the height he’s at now, he’s not the sitting president,” Bradshaw said.

“I imagine the next time he comes to the golf course there will probably be a few more people around the course.

“But the Secret Service did exactly what they were supposed to do, they provided exactly the protection they needed and their agent did a fantastic job,” Bradshaw added.

He added that the shooter had an AK-style rifle with a scope, a GoPro camera and two backpacks hanging from a fence.

According to Bradshaw, there were ceramic tiles in the backpacks and the suspect’s belongings are being searched.

After news of the shots fired broke, Steven Cheug, the former president’s campaign communications director, said, “President Trump is safe following the shots fired in his area. No further details at this time.”

Trump quickly issued a defiant statement vowing to “never surrender.”

“Shots have been fired in my area, but before the rumors spread, I want you to hear this first: I am safe and sound,” he wrote in an alert sent by his team.

“Nothing will stop me. I will NEVER SURRENDER!” the candidate continued, months after surviving a separate attempt on his life in which he was shot in the ear in Butler, Pennsylvania.

‘I will always love you for your support. Unity. Peace. Make America great again.

“May God bless you,” he wrote.

According to a source familiar with the incident, Trump returned to his Mar-a-Lago home around 4:43 p.m.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Trump is “unstoppable” after spending time with him following the incident.

Although he was not on the court with the former president at the time, Johnson had scheduled a meeting with him at Mar-a-Lago afterward.

The son of the suspected shooter told DailyMail.com exclusively that his father is not a violent person and that he didn’t even believe in owning a gun.

Routh’s son, Oran Routh, was contacted by DailyMail.com shortly after Sunday’s shooting and said it was the first he had heard of the alleged assassination attempt.

“This was the first time I heard about it,” the 35-year-old told DailyMail.com exclusively. “Was my father shot or injured?”

He said his father hates Trump, like “any reasonable person.”

“I don’t like Trump either,” the son added.

But he said his father is not a violent person and he couldn’t believe his father would target the president.

“He’s my dad and all he’s had, as far as I know, is a couple of traffic tickets,” the son said. “That’s crazy. I know my dad and I love him, but that’s nothing compared to him.”

Oran said his father, who had no military experience, traveled to Ukraine after the Russian invasion in 2022 to volunteer and provide aid to those affected.

He added that Routh moved to Hawaii a few years ago and lived with his girlfriend. Oran added that he didn’t even know his father was in Florida.

Routh first voted for Trump in 2016, but donated to Democrats in 2020. Four years later, he called Trump a “threat to democracy” and said he would be “happy when” Trump was gone.

Routh’s posts on his now-deactivated Facebook and X accounts paint a picture of a man radicalized by both Trump and the Russia-Ukraine war.

According to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, he also has a criminal record of more than 100 charges for various crimes, including a 2002 arrest for possession of a weapon of mass destruction.

The documents do not provide details about the case. But a 2002 News & Record story reported that a man by the same name was arrested after a three-hour standoff with police.

Routh, then 36, was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a weapon of mass destruction, “meaning a fully automatic machine gun,” the News & Record reported.

Also consider Routh’s prior convictions for carrying a concealed weapon, possession of stolen property and causing a hit-and-run, NBC News reported.