Former President Donald Trump has blamed his political rivals, Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden, following an apparent second assassination attempt targeting him. Trump accused the duo of using rhetoric that has escalated threats against him, specifically their remarks that he poses a danger to democracy.
The incident occurred Sunday when 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he allegedly planned to fire on the former president. Routh, armed with an assault-style rifle, was spotted by U.S. Secret Service agents, who fired at him before he fled and eventually surrendered.
Routh has been charged with illegal firearms possession, with more charges expected as the FBI continues to investigate what they believe to be an attempted assassination. According to the FBI’s criminal complaint, Routh may have been hiding around the golf course for nearly 12 hours before being apprehended.
Trump, who was unharmed, responded by pointing fingers at Biden and Harris, accusing them of inflammatory rhetoric that has incited violence against him. Biden and Harris have both condemned the assassination attempt, with the president reaffirming his long-standing stance against political violence.
The incident follows a previous attack in July at a Pennsylvania rally, where Trump was grazed by a bullet and one of his supporters was killed. Trump, 78, stated in an interview with Fox News Digital that he feels his opponents’ rhetoric is leading to these violent acts against him, while Biden has continued to express relief that Trump is unharmed.
Trump, running again in the 2024 election, has built his campaign around warnings of an “immigrant invasion” and claims that only he can save the “failing nation,” while also accusing his political rivals of stoking divisions in the country.