Former president Donald Trump was uninjured after an individual opened fire at his golf course in Florida on Sunday, the Trump campaign said in a statement.
“President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity. No further details at this time,” said Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesman.
Trump later said in a statement: “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I am safe and well!”
According to two people briefed on the incident, the former president was golfing at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach early Sunday afternoon when agents heard gunshots. He was taken away to a holding room at the club.
The Secret Service has long been concerned about Trump’s vulnerability on his golf courses, which remain open to parts of the public and are often near heavily trafficked areas.
No one was believed to have been hit by the shots, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely discuss what transpired.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. The Secret Service and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office are jointly investigating the shooting and “will have more details soon,” Guglielmi said on X. He repeated that Trump “is safe.”
According to a Secret Service official briefed on the matter, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office detained a suspect on Florida’s Interstate 95 after he appeared to flee the scene on foot.
Palm Beach County sheriff’s officers blocked off more than a half-dozen intersections surrounding Trump International on Sunday afternoon. The property is just a few miles from Mar-a-Lago, but it is in a more urban setting than the club in Palm Beach. The Palm Beach County Jail looks down on Trump International from the north, and across the street is the county’s main library and a U.S. Postal Service distribution center.
The White House said in a statement that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had been briefed about the incident. The two are “relieved to know that he is safe,” the White House said, and they will be updated on the case.
Lori Rozsa in Florida contributed to this report.
