Several Secret Service agents fired on a gunman in bushes near the property line of the West Palm Beach golf course after he was spotted a few hundred metres from where Trump was playing, law enforcement officials say.
The suspect left an AK-47-style assault rifle and other items at the scene and fled in a vehicle before he was later arrested.
A crime scene was set up at Trump International Golf Club in Florida after a gunman was disturbed. (AP PHOTO)
The apparent attempt on Trump's life came just two months after he was shot at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, sustaining a minor injury to his right ear.
"I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes - It was certainly an interesting day!," Trump said on social media, thanking Secret Service and police for keeping him safe.
CNN, Fox News and The New York Times identified the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, citing unidentified law enforcement officials.
The FBI declined to comment and Reuters could not independently verify his identity.
In response to a reporter's question, officials acknowledged that because Trump is not in office, the full golf course was not cordoned off.
Soon after the incident, Trump sent an email to his supporters, saying: "Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!"
Police say the gunman fled leaving backpacks and an assault rifle at Trump's golf course. (AP PHOTO)
President Joe Biden later said he had directed his team to ensure the Secret Service has the resources it needs to ensure Trump's safety, according to a statement released by the White House.
Reuters found profiles on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn for a Ryan Routh.
Reuters was not able to confirm these were the suspect's accounts and law enforcement agencies declined to comment, but public access to the Facebook and X profiles was removed hours after the shooting.
The three accounts bearing Routh's name suggest he was an avid supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia. In several of the posts, he appeared to be trying to help recruit soldiers for Ukraine's war effort.
Late on Sunday local time, Secret Service and Homeland Security agents searched the suspect's former home in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said a Secret Service agent protecting Trump saw a rifle barrel poking out from bushes about 365 to 460m from the former president as they cleared holes of potential threats ahead of his play.
The suspect was arrested by police on the highway about 65km from Trump's golf course. (AP PHOTO)
Agents engaged the gunman, firing at least four rounds of ammunition about 1.30pm on Sunday local time.
The gunman then dropped his rifle and fled in a black Nissan car. The sheriff said a witness saw the gunman and managed to take photos of his car and licence plate before he escaped.
Sheriff's deputies in neighbouring Martin County apprehended the suspect about 65km from the golf course.
Fox News presenter Sean Hannity said he'd spoken to both Trump and Steve Witkoff, a New York real estate investor and longtime Trump friend who was on the golf course with him.
"They were on the fifth hole. And the way Steve described this, the way the president described it, they both had exactly the same story, which is that they heard pop pop, pop pop," said Hannity.
The Secret Service "pounced on the president, covered him", he added.
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.— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) September 15, 2024
The White House said in a statement Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had been briefed about the incident and were relieved to know he was safe.
"Violence has no place in America," Harris said in an X social media post.
On X in 2020, Routh expressed support for Democratic US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and mocked Biden as "sleepy Joe".
Earlier this year, Routh tagged Biden in a post on X: "@POTUS Your campaign should be called something like KADAF. Keep America democratic and free. Trumps should be MASA ...make Americans slaves again master. DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose."
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