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One of Donald Trump’s golfing partners has recalled the moment that Secret Service members “converged” on the former president after gunshots rang out across the Florida golf course.
Businessman Steve Witkoff, a longtime Trump friend and political donor, said the agents present took “two seconds, maybe three” to spring into action and usher Trump off the course.
The incident happened on Sunday as the pair played at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
The suspected shooter, named by authorities as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was spotted aiming a rifle through the treeline about 300 to 500 yards away from the former president, prompting a Secret Service agent to open fire as he fled the scene.
Witkoff told NBC News on Tuesday that he knew immediately that a series of loud "pops" was gunfire, and praised the Secret Service for their quick response in getting Trump off the golf course in under 20 seconds.
Asked how quickly it had taken agents to react, he told the outlet: “Two seconds, maybe three… The entire team converged on top of him, except for the snipers.
"The snipers separated and they came within three yards of me, put the tripods down, and they were aiming right at the spot where the shots had come from."
Witkoff added that Trump has faith in the Secret Service and "respects them tremendously."
On Monday evening, during an event to launch Trump’s cryptocurrency platform World Liberty Financial, Witkoff also praised the former president’s selfless attitude toward those around him.
“I feel blessed that I was out there because I got to see what he has to live his daily life like – two assassination attempts in the last two months,” Witkoff said.
“He is as courageous a man as I’ve ever seen,” he added. “He cared about his friends first. He asked about his friends first. And it was inspiring to watch him.”
“He’s resilient, he’s stoic – who wouldn’t want those qualities in a leader? He is a natural-born leader.”
During the same event, hosted on X Spaces, Trump also gave his own retelling of Sunday’s incident, and once again suggested that he had survived the assassination attempts because God wanted him to “save the country.”
“Everything was beautiful, nice place to be, and all of a sudden we heard shots being fired in the air … I guess probably four or five,” he said. The former president also joked that the incident had meant he was unable to finish his game.
Speaking to NBC Witkoff also said the incident was unlikely to put Trump off his favorite hobby.
"He’s a hard guy to suppress. You know, golf is a great game for him. He slows down on the golf course. It’s a happy place for him," he said.
58-year-old Ryan Routh was arrested following the incident. In a press briefing, acting Secret Service director Ronald Rowe said that the shooter had not had a clear line of sight to the president and had been unable to get any shots off.
Routh appeared in Florida federal court on Monday and was charged with two gun offenses.
