Donald Trump speaks after Sunday’s second assassination attempt
17 September 2024, 10:34
He commended the Secret Service for doing an ‘excellent job’.
Donald Trump has spoken publicly for the first time since the latest attempt on his life on Sunday, calling it a “much better result” than when he was shot in July.
The former president took part in a social media event hosted by X, formerly Twitter.
The 45th US president attended the online event to launch World Liberty Financial, a crypto platform controlled by his sons Donald Jr and Eric.
Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, Mr Trump commended the Secret Service for doing an “excellent job”.
Mr Trump added that the attempt on his life was a “much better result” than the first assassination attempt in July, as no bystanders were wounded or killed.
“That was some crazy day, and yesterday you had another one with a different result, actually a much better result,” he said.
Mr Trump also told audience members about his conversation with President Joe Biden, with whom he spoke on Monday in the wake of another apparent assassination attempt.
“He was very nice, that he called up to make sure that I was OK,” he said.
He added that Mr Biden had sought his input on whether “we need more people on my detail”.
Mr Trump also gave X owner and tech billionaire Elon Musk a shoutout, praising the Tesla chief executive as he had “endorsed me for president so strongly” and dubbed Mr Musk his “friend”.
Mr Trump’s comments come shortly after the Neuralink boss deleted a post on X, in which Mr Musk said “no one is even trying to assassinate” Mr Biden or Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris.
Early on Monday, after taking down the post about the apparent assassination, Mr Musk wrote on the platform: “Well, one lesson I’ve learned is that just because I say something to a group and they laugh doesn’t mean it’s going to be all that hilarious as a post on X.”
Mr Trump was the target of an attempted assassination at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, just nine weeks after the Republican presidential nominee survived another attempt on his life.
US Secret Service agents opened fire on Sunday after seeing a person with a firearm near the golfing green.
No injuries were reported. Officials say the person fled in an SUV and was later apprehended by local law enforcement.
The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, was charged on Monday with federal gun crimes.
Additional and more serious charges are still possible as the investigation continues and prosecutors seek an indictment from a grand jury.
