Trump recounts assassination attempt and hits out at ‘Marxist communist’ Harris at cryptocurrency launch: Live

Donald Trump described the latest attempt on his life in detail during the launch of his new cryptocurrency platform on Monday evening before resuming his attack on “Marxist communist” presidential rival Kamala Harris – even as his Republican allies decried the use of political labels and inflammatory rhetoric in response to the latest security breach.

On Sunday, a man named by authorities as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was spotted aiming an AK-47-type rifle at Trump’s Florida golf course while concealed in shrubbery about 300 to 500 yards away from the politician, prompting a Secret Service agent to open fire as he fled the scene.

Routh, who appears to have been lurking in the bushes for almost 12 hours in anticipation, was later apprehended and appeared in court in West Palm Beach on Monday where he was charged with two gun offences.

The former president was unharmed during the incident, which came just nine weeks after he was shot in the ear by a sniper at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Speaking at the unveiling of World Liberty Financial at Mar-a-Lago last night, the Republican presidential candidate insisted God had spared him so that he could “save the country.”

Key Points

• Donald Trump recounts latest attempted assassination in detail: ‘It was quite something’

• Trump attacks ‘Marxist communist’ Harris’s as allies call on Democrats to ‘tone down’ rhetoric

• Republican nominee launches cryptocurrency platform from Mar-a-Lago after latest security scare

• Assassination suspect Ryan Wesley Routh lurked in bushes for ‘almost 12 hours’

A small group of Republicans stopped Trump from becoming a dictator – they might not be able to do it again

13:45 , Joe Sommerlad

While the former president reels from yet another assassination attempt, there are many who worry that violence could escalate if Kamala Harris wins the election in November.

Richard Hall talks to those raising the red flag, fearful of what could happen next.

The Republicans who stopped Trump becoming a dictator may not be able to do it again

Former neighbor of Trump shooting suspect said people were ‘afraid’ of him

13:25 , Joe Sommerlad

A woman who lived next door to Ryan Wesley Routh for nearly two decades in Greensboro, North Carolina, said he was known for for his extensive gun collection, which was a cause of concern among those living nearby.

Io Dodds reports.

Former neighbor of Trump shooting suspect said people were ‘afraid’ of him

Trump Media stock falls after second assassination attempt

13:05 , Joe Sommerlad

Stock in Truth Social’s parent company, Trump Media and Technology Group Corp, fell nearly 4 per cent on Monday in response to the latest alarming security breach involving the former president.

Katie Hawkinson reports.

Trump Media stock falls following second assassination attempt in Florida

‘We live in dangerous times’: Two Trump assassination attempts in two months reveals landscape of political violence

12:45 , Joe Sommerlad

The two attempts on Donald Trump’s life – just 64 days apart – reveal a landscape of political violence in what has become a vicious and, at times, dark presidential campaign, Rhian Lubin reports.

Two Trump assassination attempts in two months reveals political violence landscape

Tommy Tuberville insists ‘they’ are trying to kill Trump

12:25 , Joe Sommerlad

Like Tim Scott, Alabama’s Republican Senator also offered some decidedly unhelpful conspiratorial thinking during his appearance on Larry Kudlow’s Fox Business show yesterday as he suggested Navy SEALs might be deployed to protect the Republican presidential nominee.

This, from his Democratic counterpart Chris Murphy of Connecticut, is much more on the nose.

Tim Scott: ‘You gotta ask yourself, is there a plot?’

12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s a little more conservative reaction to the weekend’s events, beginning with this utterly irresponsible, evidence-free, conspiracy-stoking line from GOP Senator Tim Scott on Fox News.

His fellow South Carolinian Lindsey Graham took to the same network to call for the sacking of acting Secret Service chief Richard Rowe – despite his agents saving the day, Trump’s praise for their efforts and his only being in the job a matter of weeks after Republicans hounded his predecessor Kimberly Cheatle out of office.

And, again on Fox, Florida Congressman Byron Donalds opportunistically demanded the Harris campaign drop its attack ads linking Trump to Project 2025, which very much suggests that they are working.

Vance calls out liberal media ‘double standards’ in mini-essay that entirely overlooks his own

11:40 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s Trump’s running mate, cheered on by new surrogate RFK Jr, offering a highly-selective spin on the last week’s media narratives, attempting to paint Trump and himself as the victim’s of divisive political rhetoric and trolling, rather than the perpetrators of it, as he finds out the hard way that their attacks can yield some pretty scary real-world consequences.

JD Vance mocked for call to ‘love our neighbors’ as Ohio schools evacuated amid false rumors he helped spread

11:20 , Joe Sommerlad

The Trump running mate and Ohio senator is being mocked on social media for calling on Americans to love their neighbors, after a community in his home state has been besieged with violent, hateful threats because of a racist conspiracy theory he helped amplify.

Vance spoke at at the Georgia Faith & Freedom Coalition dinner in Atlanta yesterday, where he referenced the famous Biblical commandment to love thy neighbor.

“At this moment in time, in 2024 with all the violence and all the negative political rhetoric, we need to remember above and beyond that we must love our neighbors, that we must treat other people as we hope to be treated, and that we must love our God and let it motivate us in how we enact public policy,“ Vance told the crowd.

As some on social media pointed out, that sentiment seemed at odds with Vance’s actions in recent weeks, which included amplifying an unfounded conspiracy theory about foreign-born members of his own constituency.

Josh Marcus has more.

Vance mocked for call to ‘love neighbors’ after spreading conspiracy about migrants

Truth Social: Trump resumes attacks on Harris rhetoric, border record and tax policy

11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

How’s that new tone playing out on Trump’s social media platform?

Oh.

Here’s Katie Hawkinson on Trump wasting no time in blaming Harris for the latest attempt on his life.

Trump blames Harris, Democrat ‘rhetoric’ for second assassination attempt

Trump attacks ‘Marxist communist’ Harris’s as Republican allies call on Democrats to ‘tone down’ rhetoric

10:30 , Joe Sommerlad

It was very much a case of back to business-as-usual for Donald Trump last night as he branded presidential rival Kamala Harris a “Marxist communist” at his X Spaces event while launching a cryptocurrency he did not definitely understand.

That came despite his Republican allies taking turns to decry the use of political labels and inflammatory rhetoric in response to the latest security breach.

His son Eric Trump and running mate JD Vance led the charge on conservative media, conveniently overlooking Trump’s own long and appalling track record of mocking the victims of political violence like Paul Pelosi, to name just one example.

Where’s Barron? Youngest Trump goes missing from crypto launch despite two-hour build-up

10:00 , Joe Sommerlad

It was hailed as 18-year-old Barron Trump‘s big moment: his first big speaking role in a public broadcast, promoting his family’s new cryptocurrency venture.

But despite excited promises from his older brothers Don Jr, 46, and Eric, 40, the youngest son of former president Donald J Trump never made it onto the livestream.

“He’s not here anymore, We took too long,” said crypto entrepreneur Farokh Sarmad in an interview with the Trump clan on Monday night, which was broadcast live on X (formerly Twitter). “We’re gonna try and get him back.”

“Damned teenagers!” interjected Don Jr with a laugh. “I’m like the old boomer now – the grumpy old man with a white beard.”

Io Dodds has more.

Where’s Barron? Youngest Trump missing from crypto launch despite two-hour build-up

Trump recounts attempted assassination at crypto launch

09:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s what the Republican presidential nominee had to say about his latest narrow escape at last night’s event at Mar-a-Lago:

“I was playing golf with some of my friends, it was on a Sunday morning and very peaceful, very beautiful weather, everything was beautiful, it’s a nice place to be. And all of a sudden we heard shots being fired in the air, and I guess probably four or five, and it sounded like bullets.

“But what do I know about that? But Secret Service knew immediately it was bullets, and they grabbed me, and I think probably the other one, Steve is one of the people. Steve Witkoff, a great friend of mine.

“So we’re in the group and everybody just, we got into the carts, and we moved along pretty, pretty good. I was with an agent, and the agent did a fantastic job. There was no question that we were off that course. I would have loved to have sank that last putt, but we decided, let’s get out of here.

“He started shooting at the barrel, started shooting in the bushes. Could only see the barrel. How good is that? Right? Could only see the barrel. Based on that, he started shooting and ran toward the target and was shooting a lot, I mean, those were the shots we heard. The other one never got a shot off.

“The civilian did a phenomenal job. A woman. I mean, who would think, you could take a thousand times like that, how many people would have the brainpower to follow him and take pictures of the back of his truck so that they end up getting, and the key was the license. So they got the license, and after they had the license, you know, there’s all sorts of technology where they can literally pinpoint where this truck is. I never knew something like that existed. And they pinpointed him on the highway.

“It was quite something, but it worked out well and Secret Service did an excellent job, and they have the man behind bars, and hopefully he’s going to be there for a long time. Dangerous person, very, very dangerous person.”

Trump hawks new cryptocurrency venture despite once calling industry a ‘scam’ – but details are thin

09:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Donald Trump and his family appeared in a live broadcast on Monday evening to unveil a hotly-anticipated new cryptocurrency venture – but revealed almost nothing about what it will actually entail.

In an interview with crypto news podcast Rug Radio on Monday evening, the former president and convicted felon hawked his new “World Liberty Financial” project, which has previously been billed as involving “digital real estate.”

His eldest son Donald Jr described it as “the start of a financial revolution”, while his younger brother Eric said it would challenge the power of big traditional banks by making crypto accessible to ordinary Americans.

Yet for all the fanfare, neither they nor their business partners revealed almost anything concrete about the project, save that it will involve a “stablecoin” – that is, a digital currency whose value is pegged to that of an existing traditional currency – and be controlled via non-transferrable “governance tokens”.

Io Dodds reports.

Trump hawks new crypto venture despite once calling industry ‘scam’ – but few details

Trump assassination suspect lurked in bushes for ‘almost 12 hours’

08:31 , Joe Sommerlad

Ryan Wesley Routh, the man arrested over the latest suspected plot to assassinate Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, appears to have spent almost 12 hours lurking in the shrubbery at his target’s Florida golf club in the hope of getting a clear shot at him.

Mobile phone records cited by federal officials investigating the security breach place Routh at the scene from around 1.59am local time in the early hours of Sunday morning.

It was around 1.31pm when a Secret Service agent protecting Trump near the course’s fifth hole spotted a rifle barrel poking out of the bushes around 300-500 yards from the politician and opened fire, prompting the would-be gunman to flee the scene.

He sped off in a black Nissan SUV bearing stolen licence plates that was pulled over 40 minutes later on northbound Interstate 95 after a member of the public had photographed the car and supplied the image to police.

“Secret Service knew immediately it was bullets, and they grabbed me,” said Trump recounted during his X Spaces event last night.

“We got into the carts and we moved along pretty, pretty good. I was with an agent, and the agent did a fantastic job.”

Routh had been equipped with two digital cameras, a black plastic bag of food, an SKS-style semi-automatic rifle – a weapon with a range of around 440 yards – and a scope to magnify its lens.

The bag and cameras were later recovered from a perimeter fence at the scene.

Recap: Everything we know so far about the shooting at Donald Trump’s golf club

07:59 , Josh Marcus

Everything we know so far about the shooting at Donald Trump’s golf club

Watch: Sean Hannity says Donald Trump joked about his golf game being cut short

07:00 , Josh Marcus

California firefighters’ union slams Trump for threatening to withhold funding: ‘He should be ashamed’

06:00 , Josh Marcus

The president of the California firefighters’ union slammed Donald Trump on Friday for suggesting he would withold federal firefighting aid if the state didn’t go along with his political priorities.

“Former President Trump should be ashamed for threatening to withhold federal firefighting aid from California should he be elected,” California Professional Firefighters president Brian K. Rice wrote in a statement on Facebook on Friday.

Josh Marcus has more:

California firefighters’ union slams Trump for threatening to withhold funding

Watch: Moment suspect is arrested for Florida Trump assassination attempt

05:00 , Josh Marcus

When were there two presidential assassination attempts this close?

04:30 , Mike Bedigan

Assassins have killed four US presidents— Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy—part of 18 total plots against presidents and presidential candidates.

However, one Republican president faced two assassination attempts in even shorter succession than Trump.

Josh Marcus has more:

When were there two presidential assassination attempts this close?

Hillary Clinton condemns Elon Musk’s ‘creepy’ message to Taylor Swift: ‘Another way of saying rape’

04:00 , Mike Bedigan

Hillary Clinton has condemned Elon Musk’s “rotten and creepy” social media message to Taylor Swift, describing it as “another way of saying rape.”

Clinton argued that Musk was acting as a mouthpiece for Donald Trump after Swift endorsed his rival Kamala Harris in the upcoming US presidential election.

Read the full story from Kevin E G Perry here:

Hillary Clinton condemns Elon Musk’s ‘creepy’ message to Taylor Swift

Pakistani man with links to Iran denies murder-for-hire plot to assassinate US politicians

03:30 , Mike Bedigan

A Pakistani man with ties to Iran pleaded not guilty in federal court on Monday on charges related to an alleged murder-for-hire plot against U.S. politicians in retalation for the 2020 killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani.

Asif Raza Merchant, 46, is charged with attempting to commit terrorism across national boundaries and murder-for-hire.

Read more from Josh Marcus:

Pakistani with links to Iran denies murder-for-hire plot to assassinate US officials

Trump Media stock falls after second assassination attempt against former president

03:00 , Mike Bedigan

Stock in Truth Social’s parent company, Trump Media and Technology Group Corp, fell following the second assassination attempt against the former president.

Shares for Donald Trump’s social media company fell nearly 4 percent on Monday, CNBC reports.

Katie Hawkinson takes a closer look:

Trump Media stock falls following second assassination attempt in Florida

Eric Trump claims media isn’t talking enough about Trump assassination attempts

02:47 , Josh Marcus

Eric Trump blamed Democrats for the recent assassination attempts on his father Donald Trump and claimed the mainstream media isn’t covering the plots during an interview on Fox News on Monday evening.

“They are creating a culture of hate in htis country,” Eric Trump said of Democrats. “If we ever lost one of our leaders, if we ever lost a presidential nominee, we would look like a Third World country.”

“The media sweeps it under the rug,” he added, claiming the moment Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars got more media coverage.

Trump friend describes moment of shooting at Florida golf course

02:22 , Josh Marcus

Questions remain about how another apparent would-be assassin got so near to Donald Trump, but according to friend Steve Witkoff, the Secret Service agents with the former president on Sunday were heroic.

“The Secret Service were exceptional,” Witkoff said on Monday speaking with Sean Hannity on Fox News. “They had the president secured, in my estimation, maybe after the first shot.”

The real estate investor and Trump friend also said the former president was stoic throughout the shooting.

“He was an inspiration to everyone who was around him yesterday,” Witkoff added.

Watch: Biden condemns political violence following Trump assassination attempt in Florida

02:15 , Mike Bedigan

Sean Hannity narrowly avoided being on Florida course with Trump during assassination attempt

02:10 , Josh Marcus

Fox News host Sean Hannity was nearly on the course with Donald Trump over the weekend in Florida when a gunman carried out an apparent assassination attempt.

The anchor got an invite to play with the former president, he said on his show on Monday, but declined.

During his opening monologue, Hannity praised the bravery of Trump’s security detail but alleged that higher-ups at the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security were responsible for another “abject failure” of security.

“This was yet another glaring security failure at the leadership, at the DHS,” Hannity said.

Trump boasts about granddaughter’s Chinese language skills

01:59 , Mike Bedigan

During an online address on X Spaces, Donald Trump boasted about his granddaughter Arabella’s talent for speaking perfect Chinese.

Arabella’s mother, former first daughter Ivanka Trump, was previously the subject of controversy involving the Chinese government, who granted a total of 41 trademarks to companies linked to Ivanka Trump by April of 2019.

Other trademarks she had applied for after her father became president got approved about 40 per cent faster than those she requested before Trump’s victory in the 2016 election.

In 2017, Trump showed off his granddaughter’s skills to Chinese president Xi Jinping – showing him and his wife a video of the youngster singing in Mandarin.

Vance blames liberals for Trump assassination attempts: ‘Cut this crap out’

01:50 , Mike Bedigan

Trump says things will ‘only get’ worse if he loses the election

01:40 , Mike Bedigan

During the rambling address Trump alluded to “evil forces” – listing China and Russia.

“It’s only going get worse if I don’t win… it’s going to be like Venezuela on steroids,” he said.

Trump suggests God wants him to save the US

01:30 , Mike Bedigan

Speaking about the two failed attempts on his life Trump suggested that a reason for his survival.

“Perhaps it’s God wanting me to save this country,” he said.

Trump says both would-be assassins were ‘radical lefts’

01:20 , Mike Bedigan

Discussing the two attempts on his life, which have both occurred within nine weeks of each other, Donald Trump said both would-be assassins were “radical lefts.”

“A lot of people think the Democrats when they talk about threat to Democracy – it seems as though both of these people were radical lefts,” he said.

Trump recalls assassination attempt as he launches cryptocurrency platform on X Spaces

01:13 , Mike Bedigan

Donald Trump is speaking on X Spaces as he launches his cryptocurrency platform World Liberty Financial during in an address from Mar-a-Lago.

Discussing the second attempt on his life on Sunday at his Florida golf course, Trump said he would have “loved to sink that last putt.”

Recalling the incident he said: “I was playing golf with some of my friends… very peaceful, very beautiful weather. all of a sudden we heard shots being fired. It sounded like bullets but what do I know about that? But theSecret Service knew.

He added: “Everybody got into the carts and we moved along pretty fast… I would have loved to sink that last putt but we had to get out of there.”

Springfield schools evacuated yet again over ‘threats’ after Trump’s lies about Haitian immigrants

Tuesday 17 September 2024 00:45 , Mike Bedigan

Two more schools and two college campuses in Springfield, Ohio have been evacuated amid a surge in anti-immigrant invective driven in part by former president Donald Trump and his allies.

Leaders at Wittenberg University and Clark State College said on Monday that they would hold all classes virtually this week and cancel all on-campus events after receiving threats.

Io Dodds has more:

Springfield schools evacuated again after Trump’s lies about Haitian immigrants

Former neighbor of Trump shooting suspect said people were ‘afraid’ of him

Tuesday 17 September 2024 00:30 , Mike Bedigan

The man accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump inspired fear on his street due to his large gun collection, a neighbor has claimed.

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested on Sunday after being shot at by US Secret Service (USSS) agents at one of the former president’s golf courses in Florida.

Io Dodds looks at what Routh’s neighbors had to say about him:

Former neighbor of Trump shooting suspect said people were ‘afraid’ of him

Bomb threats continuing Ohio following Trump’s baseless pet-eating migrant claims

Tuesday 17 September 2024 00:15 , Mike Bedigan

Scientific American endorses Harris for president

Tuesday 17 September 2024 00:00 , Mike Bedigan

Leading US science magazine, Scientific American, has endorsed Kamala Harris for president – the second time in the publication’s 179-year history that its editors have backed a particular candidate.

In an editorial published on Monday, editors wrote that Harris “has plans to improve health, boost the economy and mitigate climate change,” whereas Donald Trump “has threats and a dangerous record.”

Trump blames Harris, Democrat ‘rhetoric’ for second assassination attempt in latest screed

Monday 16 September 2024 23:30 , Mike Bedigan

Donald Trump has blamed Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic “rhetoric” for the second apparent assassination attempt against him on Sunday.

Trump claimed that “bullets are flying” because of “Communist Left Rhetoric” in his latest social media rant, posted Monday afternoon.

Katie Hawkinson has more:

Trump blames Harris, Democrat ‘rhetoric’ for second assassination attempt

Biden and Trump have spoken following second assassination attempt

Monday 16 September 2024 23:22 , Mike Bedigan

Joe Biden has spoken with Donald Trump following the second attempt on the former president’s life on Sunday.

A White House official confirmed that contact between the two man had been made and that Biden had conveyed “his relief that [Trump] is safe.” “The two shared a cordial conversation and former President Trump expressed his thanks for the call,” the official said.

Trump told West Palm sheriff he ‘feels safe’

Monday 16 September 2024 23:15 , Mike Bedigan

Donald Trump told the West Palm Beach sheriff that he “feels safe” following the attempt on his life on Sunday.

Soeaking to reporters, Ric Bradshaw said: “President Trump, he thanked me for everything that we did along with the Secret Service, we work great together, and he feels safe.

“That’s important, because he is and what we did yesterday proves that the system can work, because the suspect didn’t even get close to getting around off and we apprehended him and brought him to justice.”

Biden attempted to call Trump after second assassination attempt

Monday 16 September 2024 22:45 , Mike Bedigan

Joe Biden said he had attempted to call Donald Trump following the second attempt on his life on Sunday, but was unable to get through.

“I called him, but he wasn’t available. I’m going to try again later,” he told reporters.

Secret Service acting director meeting with Trump and touring site of apparent assassination attempt

Monday 16 September 2024 22:30 , Mike Bedigan

The acting director of the Secret Service will meet Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence following a second apparent attempt on his life in two months.

Ronald Rowe arrived in Florida on Monday morning after the incident at the Trump International Golf Course on Sunday.

Read more here:

Secret Service acting director meeting with Trump after alleged assassination attempt

Trump ‘cracked jokes’ about not being able to finish golf game after second assassination attempt

Monday 16 September 2024 22:15 , Mike Bedigan

Donald Trump was reportedly in relatively good spirits on Sunday afternoon despite experiencing a second assassination attempt on his life – this time while playing a round of golf.

The former president apparently joked with allies and advisers that he was disappointed he wasn’t able to finish his game.

Ariana Baio has the full story:

Trump ‘joked’ about not finishing golf game after second assassination attempt