Trump was a little mad over unfinished golf game: JD Vance on assassination bid
Ohio Senator JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential pick, recounted a tense phone call with Donald Trump moments after Sunday’s assassination attempt on the Republican presidential nominee.
Vance shared that Trump called him while he was spending time with his children in Cincinnati. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Trump managed to joke about his disrupted golf game, Vance said, adding that “that’s the kind of guy you want to be President”.
Vance recounted that Trump called him and told him: “JD, you’re not going to believe this, but they tried again. Trump informed Vance that while he was playing golf in West Palm Beach, Florida, the Secret Service had uncovered a person attempting to assassinate him.
Stunned by the revelation, Vance expressed his relief, saying, “Oh my Lord, sir, I’m so glad you’re safe.” Despite the severity of the situation, Trump appeared a bit irritated by the disruption to his golf game, according to Vance.
Vance admitted to being more shaken by the incident than Trump, who remained composed and even managed to joke about it. “I asked, ‘Are you okay?’ and he said, ‘I’m a little mad because I was about to make a birdie putt on the 6th hole, and they wouldn’t let me finish.'”
“He was annoyed that they wouldn’t let him finish his birdie putt right after they found a guy with an AK-47,” Vance said. Vance went on to say, “That’s the kind of guy you want to be President of the United States — someone who’s phased by nothing and can still tell jokes afterward. I was more bothered by it than he was.”
The suspect who attempted to shoot Donald Trump was arrested and identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh. Secret Service agents, while clearing holes ahead of Trump’s golf game, spotted the gunman approximately 300 to 500 yards away, armed with an AK-47-style assault rifle.
The agents noticed the muzzle of the gun sticking through bushes. Upon spotting the gunman, agents fired at least four rounds before successfully arresting him.
This was the second assassination attempt on Trump. Earlier in July, during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump narrowly escaped being shot in the head. His ear was grazed by a bullet fired by a gunman from a rooftop. The gunman was shot dead by the Secret Service.