Lagatar24 Desk
Florida: Shots were fired near former US President Donald Trump at his Palm Beach golf course in Florida, but the Republican candidate was confirmed to be safe, according to his campaign team. The incident involved gunfire from an AK-47-style rifle in Trump’s vicinity, prompting immediate action from the US Secret Service, which was accompanying him at the time.
US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris responded to the incident, expressing her relief over Trump’s safety. “I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida. I am glad that he is safe,” said Ms. Harris. She also emphasized, “Violence has no place in America.”
The motive behind the shooting is still unclear. However, it comes almost two months after a failed assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a shooter atop a roof fired a 5.56mm bullet from an AR-15 rifle that grazed Trump’s ear, causing minor injuries.
Following that earlier incident, the US Secret Service admitted failure in safeguarding the former president. “The Secret Service takes full responsibility for the tragic events of July 13th. This was a mission failure, and our protectees should never be put in danger. We fell short of that in Butler,” said Ronald Rowe, Acting Director of the US Secret Service, vowing to prevent such lapses in the future.
The latest incident in Florida occurs just days after the first Presidential debate between Trump and Harris. According to a CNN flash poll, Harris was deemed to have outperformed Trump, with 54% of respondents saying she won, compared to 31% for Trump.
Both Harris and Trump will face off in the upcoming US presidential elections scheduled for November, marking a closely contested race between the Democratic and Republican candidates.