On September 16, 2024, JD Vance made his first public remarks at a Faith and Freedom Coalition event in Georgia after his running mate Donald Trump was nearly assassinated for the second time on September 15, 2024.
He recalled that he was sitting at his Cincinnati home with his seven-year-old when his running mate called to inform that the Secret Service found an AK-47-style rifle barrel peeking into his West Palm Beach golf course. JD Vance said:
“I get a phone call and it’s Donald J. Trump so I answer it and he says, ‘JD you are not gonna believe this, but they tried to do it again.’ I said, ‘No, they didn’t, you are joshing me. What’s going on here, Sir?’ And he says, ‘No, I was playing golf and the Secret Service found somebody who was trying to shoot me.’”
At around 2 PM, Secret Service agents noticed a gunman, identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, aiming a rifle through the course’s chain-link fence while Trump played golf. They opened fire, causing the suspect to flee without firing his weapon.
Routh, who was positioned 300 to 500 yards from his target, escaped in his car and drove about 40 miles north before being pulled over and arrested on I-95 shortly afterward. Trump also told Vance that the gunman was from Hawaii and faced federal gun charges on September 16, 2024, and additional charges might be laid against him as the investigation unfolds.
The incident happened within three months from the first assassination attempt. However, the former President assured Vance he was okay, but expressed frustration over not being allowed to complete his birdie putt.
Donald Trump thanked the Secret Service for their incredible job
After the incident, the former US President released a statement on his X account in which he thanked everyone for their concerns and well-wishes. However, most importantly, he thanked the Secret Service for the job they did to keep him safe. Trump’s statement read:
“Most importantly, I want to thank the U.S. Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his Office of brave and dedicated Patriots, and, all of 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.”
Kamala Harris also released a statement in which she said she was disturbed by the assassination attempt and emphasised that she condemned political violence. She lauded the Secret Service for their work for their vigilance. In her statement, Harris also promised to ensure that Secret Service gets every resource to do their job efficiently. Taking to X, she wrote:
“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.”
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During a campaign event in July 2024, a bullet grazed the former President's ear in an assassination attempt. The suspect, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was fatally shot by agents on the scene, but not before one attendee was killed and two others were seriously injured.
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