Updated on September 16 at 7:30 A.M. E.D.T.



President Trump credited his “absolutely outstanding” Secret Service detail for saving his life Sunday as a second assassination attempt was made on him while he played gold near his Mar-a-Lago resort.



“THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!” <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113145139152249599">Trump said</a> on Truth Social.



“I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes — It was certainly an interesting day! Most importantly, I want to thank the US Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his Office of brave and dedicated patriots, and, all of the law enforcement, for the incredible job done today at Trump International in keeping me, as the 45th President of the United States, and the Republican nominee in the upcoming presidential election, SAFE,” the presidential candidate said.



Authorities said the suspected shooter, identified by Fox News as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was perched near a fence line of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, not far from the former president’s Mar-a-Lago residence, when he was spotted by a Secret Service agent who noticed the rifle muzzle and fired several shots at the suspect.



The suspect was armed with an assault-style rifle with a scope and had set up a GoPro camera to record the event, police said. He fled the scene in a black SUV after taking fire and was apprehended without incident in a nearby county shortly thereafter. Police did not say whether the suspect fired any shots, but he was within 500 yards of the former president.



The FBI released a statement after the shootout, saying that it was “investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump.”&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" srcset="https://wp.nysun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/shooter-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://wp.nysun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/shooter-300x200.jpg 300w, https://wp.nysun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/shooter-144x96.jpg 144w, https://wp.nysun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/shooter-768x512.jpg 768w, https://wp.nysun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/shooter-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://wp.nysun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/shooter-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" class="wp-image-235699" alt="Photos showing an assault-style rifle, a backpack and a Go-Pro camera left behind by a man who allegedly tried to shoot President Trump Sunday." src="https://wp.nysun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/shooter-1024x683.jpg" height="683" width="1024" loading="lazy" decoding="async"><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photos showing an assault-style rifle, a backpack and a Go-Pro camera left behind by a man who allegedly tried to shoot President Trump Sunday. AP/Stephany Matat</figcaption></figure>



Shortly after the incident, Trump released a statement saying he will “NEVER SURRENDER” and that “nothing” would slow him down.&nbsp;



Vice President Harris wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.”



The motive of the suspected shooter was not immediately clear. His social media <a href="https://x.com/RyanRouth">footprint</a> — most of which was deleted immediately after his name surfaced in media reports — indicates that he was involved in the conflict in Ukraine and attempted to recruit foreign soldiers to fight against the Russians as part of the Ukrainian International Legion.



In a tweet from June 2020, Mr. Routh said he voted for Trump in the 2016 election but had second thoughts by 2020. “@realDonaldTrump while you were my choice in 2106 (sic), I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate,” he wrote, “but we all were greatly disappointment and it seems like you are getting worse and devolving; are you retarded; I will be glad when you gone.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img sizes="(max-width: 988px) 100vw, 988px" srcset="https://wp.nysun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/routh.jpg 988w, https://wp.nysun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/routh-300x165.jpg 300w, https://wp.nysun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/routh-768x423.jpg 768w" class="wp-image-235706" alt="" src="https://wp.nysun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/routh.jpg" height="544" width="988" loading="lazy" decoding="async"><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mr. Routh had previously given an interview to Newsweek. Newsweek.</figcaption></figure>



Mr. Routh, a former construction worker from North Carolina and resident of Hawaii at one point, has surfaced on several media outlets in recent years in connection with his self-proclaimed work in Ukraine. The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/25/world/europe/volunteers-us-ukraine-lies.html">interviewed</a> him last year about his efforts to draft Afghan soldiers for the war in Ukraine, and Newsweek <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-suspect-shooting-assassination-attempt-west-palm-beach-1954191">recorded</a> an interview with him 2022 about his wider efforts in that war.



When he was arrested by police, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said, Mr. Routh had a calm, flat demeanor and showed little emotion. He did not ask why he was pulled over. “He never asked, ‘What is this about?’ Obviously, law enforcement with long rifles, blue lights, a lot going on. He never questioned it,” Mr. Snyder said.



The incident comes just two months after Trump barely survived another attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The suspect in the second assassination attempt on President Trump, Ryan Wesley Routh.

Trump Credits His Eagle-Eyed Secret Service Detail for Staving Off Second Assassination Attempt While He Golfed at West Palm Beach

The motive of the suspected shooter was not immediately clear, but his social media footprint indicates that he was involved in efforts to recruit foreign fighters for Ukraine.

Trump Credits His Eagle-Eyed Secret Service Detail for Staving Off Second Assassination Attempt While He Golfed at West Palm Beach | The New York Sun

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Trump Credits His Eagle-Eyed Secret Service Detail for Staving Off Second Assassination Attempt While He Golfed at West Palm Beach

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