Former President Donald Trump narrowly avoided another assassination attempt on Sunday, while golfing at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Shots were reportedly fired near his location, but Trump remained unharmed. The FBI is treating the incident as an assassination attempt, and an investigation is underway.
According to reports, the incident occurred around 2 p.m. local time while Trump was moving between the fifth and sixth holes on the golf course.
CNN reported that Trump’s golf outing was a last-minute decision.
The suspected gunman, identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, was apprehended after allegedly aiming an AK-47 through a chain-link fence outside the course. Secret Service agents acted quickly, firing shots at Routh, who fled in an SUV before being apprehended by law enforcement.
In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump expressed his gratitude to the U.S. Secret Service and local law enforcement for their swift and effective response. “I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes—It was certainly an interesting day!” Trump wrote.
“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.”
While the assassination attempt in itself is shocking, social media is now abuzz with theories linking the event to a recent Time Magazine cover featuring Trump.
Just four days before the incident, Time posted a picture of Trump driving a golf cart with the caption “In Trouble.”
The Time Magazine post reads:
“TIME’s new cover: How Kamala Harris knocked Donald Trump off course
In what may be their sole debate before Election Day, the high-stakes clash between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris underscored how dramatically the presidential race has changed since mid-summer, when even top Democrats conceded Trump appeared to be coasting to victory in his rematch with Joe Biden. As plain as it is that Trump wishes he were still running against Biden, it is equally clear that Harris has rattled him.
The split-screen said it all. Trump glowered and grimaced as Harris baited him into boasting about his crowd sizes, grousing about the 2020 election, and standing up for the rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol. In the nine years since Trump first burst onto the scene, no opponent—Democrat or Republican—has dealt with the 800 lb. gorilla of American politics as coolly, or gotten under his skin to such a degree. Which is how it’s been going for Trump for a while now.
At the link in bio, read how Harris has knocked Trump and his campaign off course.
Illustration by Tim O’Brien for TIME”
The caption combined with the recent assassination attempt has triggered a wave of speculation on social media platforms, with many users pointing out the unnerving timing. Some are questioning whether the media’s portrayal of Trump in the days leading up to the attempt could have had any influence, while others dismiss it as a coincidence blown out of proportion by conspiracy theorists.
