Trump says he was dragged into a golf cart after shots were fired

Donald Trump recalled hearing shots fired by Secret Service agents on Sunday at a suspected attacker hiding in the bushes at his golf course in Florida.

In a livestream on social media platform X, the Republican presidential candidate said he and a friend were “grabbed” by agents and dragged into golf carts while shots rang out.

Several hundred yards away, Secret Service agents had seen the barrel of a rifle protruding from the foliage. After opening fire, the agents pursued the suspect, who dropped his weapon and drove away. However, he was later arrested on a highway.

The suspect, 58-year-old Ryan Routh, did not fire any shots himself, the Secret Service said.

Mr. Routh made a brief appearance in a Florida court on Monday to face charges of possession of a firearm. The FBI and state of Florida's investigation is ongoing.

Later Tuesday, Trump is scheduled to appear in person for the first time since the incident at a town hall meeting in Flint, Michigan, a crucial swing state where votes will decide the presidential election.

His campaign plan will not change, a source told Reuters, citing news agency.

In his report, Trump recalled that he and his friend Steve Witkoff “heard shots in the air, I guess four or five,” as Secret Service agents spotted the rifle on the next hole on the course and shot the suspect.

The agents who had Trump with him “knew immediately that they were bullets and they grabbed me,” he said.

“We got on the carts and made pretty, pretty good progress. I was with an agent and the agent did a fantastic job,” he said during the X Spaces event.

In a comment to the Washington Post, he stressed that the incident and the attempt on his life during a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13 had not affected him.

“But people ask me that question a lot and I try not to think about it,” he said.

In a rare show of political unity, Trump also praised President Joe Biden for a “very nice” phone call after the alleged assassination attempt. The White House said Biden expressed relief that Trump was safe.

Trump tried to blame the apparent attack on “inflammatory language” from his Democratic political rivals.

Authorities have not yet announced a possible motive for Routh, who has had legal troubles in the past and has been affiliated with various political interests.

Sunday's events came weeks after Trump was wounded by a 20-year-old gunman who shot at him at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July.

The incident, which left one rally participant dead, led to the resignation of Director of Security Services Kimberly Cheatle and the reinforcement of Trump's security staff.

In remarks to the Washington Post on Monday, Trump said agents took a different approach in the second incident, opting to evacuate him from the area in “pretty fast golf carts” rather than jumping him.

The second apparent attempt on Trump's life raised new questions across the political spectrum about whether he was adequately protected, with Biden acknowledging that the agency “needs more help.”

Like Trump, acting Secret Service chief Ronald Rowe praised the actions of individual agents and defended the level of security offered to the Republican.

In a press conference on Monday, he stressed that Trump had “the highest level of protection” and that the agency's plan had worked, as it should have on Sunday.

Mr Rowe also said that the ex-president's trip to the golf course was not on his public schedule.

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