^{Law enforcement personnel investigate the area around Trump International Golf Club after an apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on Sept. 15, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Fla. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.}

Following a second assassination attempt on Donald Trump on Sunday, from which he emerged unscathed, the former President released a statement voicing his determination to continue despite the personal risks.

“My resolve is only stronger after another attempt on my life. I will never slow down. I will never give up. I WILL NEVER SURRENDER! I thank God every day for having supporters like you on my side. On November 5th, WE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” Trump said in the statement.

While the former president was playing golf at the at Trump International Golf Club in South Florida, U.S. Secret Service agents, checking ahead for possible threats, identified a man pointing a AK-47 style rifle with a scope through a fence.

The Secret Service agents fired at the man.

The man dropped the gun and fled in an SUV. He was apprehended by police from the Martin county sheriff’s office on I-95, an interstate highway.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the gunman also had two backpacks hanging on a fence and a GoPro camera and that he was about 400 to 500 yards from Trump, AP reported.

The shooter was identified as Ryan Wesley Routh. Routh, 58, has a lengthy criminal record, having been convicted of numerous felony offences in Guilford County, North Carolina between 2002 and 2010.

Routh frequently posted in favor of Democrats and against Trump, echoing the anti-Trump rhetoric used by Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. President Joe Biden, The New York Post reported.

In an April 22 post on X, he said, “DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose.”

He said Trump wants to “make Americans slaves against master.”

Statements on his X account, suspended on Sunday, indicate he was a Trump supporter in 2016 but turned against the president in 2020.

He was passionate about supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia and even visited the country.

He also posted pro-Palestinian messages, the BBC reported.

The New York Times said Routh was a former construction worker from Greensboro, North Carolina, though he most recently lived in Hawaii.

He voted in the North Carolina Democratic primary in March and donated more than $100 to ActBlue, a Democratic fundraising platform. Thomas Matthew Crooks, the first would-be assassin, had also donated to ActBlue.

The State of Florida announced it would be conducting its own investigation into the assassination attempt.

“The people deserve the truth about the would-be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Biden, after being briefed on the event, said, “A suspect is in custody, and I commend the work of the Secret Service and their law enforcement partners for their vigilance and their efforts to keep the former president and those around him safe.”

“I am relieved that the former president is unharmed,” Biden said.

“As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country,” he added.

Harris stated she is “deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today.”

“As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence,” she said. “I am thankful that former President Trump is safe.”

World leaders joined to condemn the assassination attempt.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Sara and I were shocked by the second assassination attempt against President Trump and were relieved to hear that it, too, failed. But we should not rely on luck.”

“We send our best wishes to Donald and Melania, along with our hopes that all measures will be taken to ensure that such deadly attacks on a candidate for the U.S. presidency will be foiled in advance,” he added.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog posted to X: “I was deeply relieved to hear that Trump was not harmed in another attempt on his life. All voices and all leaders on the political spectrum must unite to condemn this alarming political violence, which poses a real and present threat to democracy.”

Foreign Minister Israel Katz posted, “The people of Israel send their best wishes to the 45th President of the United States, following the despicable second assassination attempt on his life recently.

“Israel is deeply grateful for President Trump’s contributions to the security and prosperity of our nation, and we pray for his health and well-being.

“We must strongly condemn any attempts to impose political views through threats and violence—political violence must never undermine the American people’s right to freely and democratically choose their path,” Katz added.

Source: JNS