Getty ImagesDonald Trump has recalled hearing shots fired by Secret Service agents at a would-be attacker hiding in the bushes at his Florida golf course on Sunday.
Speaking in a livestream on social media platform X, the Republican presidential candidate said he and a friend were “grabbed” by agents and bundled into golf carts as gunfire rang out.
Secret Service personnel several hundred metres away had spotted the barrel of a rifle poking out of foliage. After opening fire, agents pursued the suspect, who dropped his weapon and drove away, but was later arrested on a highway.
The suspect, 58-year-old Ryan Routh, did not fire any shots himself, the Secret Service has said.
Routh appeared briefly in a Florida court on Monday to face federal gun possession charges, as investigations by the FBI continue.
The FBI has said it is investigating the incident as “an attempted assassination” against Trump but did not formally charge Routh with related charges.
Florida prosecutors are also investigating the case with the possibility of adding additional, more severe, charges.
“I think this is an offence that should merit life in prison,” Florida Governor Ron Desantis said at a press briefing on Tuesday, announcing the state’s investigation.
“I think it’s really important for the people of Florida, but also for our country, that we pursue the most serious charges that are on the books to hold this guy accountable.”
Later on Tuesday, Trump is due to make his first in-person appearance since the incident at a “town hall” in Flint, Michigan, a crucial swing state where votes will help decide the presidential election.
His campaign schedule will not change, according to a source cited by the Reuters news agency.
In his account, Trump recalled that he and friend Steve Witkoff “heard shots being fired in the air, I guess probably four or five” as Secret Service agents on the course’s next hole spotted the rifle and fired at the suspect.
The agents with Trump “knew immediately it was bullets, and they grabbed me”, he said.
“We got into the carts and we moved along pretty, pretty good. I was with an agent, and the agent did a fantastic job,” he said during the X Spaces event.
In comments to the Washington Post, he insisted that the incident, as well as an attempt on his life during a rally in Pennsylvania on 13 July, 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 commended President Joe Biden for a “very nice” phone call after the apparent assassination attempt. The White House said Biden expressed his relief that Trump was safe.
Trump sought to blame the apparent attempt on “inflammatory language” from Democratic political rivals.
Authorities have not yet disclosed a potential motive for Routh, who has a history of legal problems and varied political affiliations.
Sunday’s events came weeks after Trump was injured by a 20-year-old gunman who shot at him at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July.
The incident, which left a rally attendee dead, led to the resignation of the Security Service’s director Kimberly Cheatle, and the beefing-up of Trump’s security detail.
In Monday’s remarks to the Washington Post, Trump said agents had taken a different approach during the second incident, choosing to evacuate him from the area with “rather quick golf carts”, rather than jumping on him.
The second apparent attempt on Trump’s life raised fresh questions from across the political spectrum about whether he is receiving enough protection. Biden has acknowledged that the agency “needs more help”.
The Secret Service’s acting head, Ronald Rowe, joined Trump in praising the actions of individual agents, and defended the level of security provided to the Republican.
In a news conference on Monday, he stressed that Trump had the “highest levels of protection” and that the agency’s plan worked as it should have done on Sunday.
Mr Rowe also said the ex-president’s trip to the golf course was not on his public schedule.
