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Trump Reportedly Safe Following Gunshots While Playing at His Golf Club; Trump Is Safe After Possible Assassination Attempt. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired September 15, 2024 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:48]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Jessica Dean, and we begin with breaking news.
Former president Donald Trump is safe after a shooting incident near the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Martin County Sheriff's Office saying they have stopped a vehicle and taken a suspect into custody. We know a gun, an AK-47 style weapon, has been recovered near that scene as well.
Now we are standing by for a press conference from police and the Secret Service, which we are expecting in the next half-hour. Let's begin, though, with CNN's Kristen Holmes.
Kristen, tell us the latest what you're hearing right now.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, Jessica. So what were told us this afternoon when Donald Trump was on the golf course at West Palm Beach, that is Trump International Golf Course, he was in-between holes when shots were fired. We are told by sources that Secret Service fired shots. And as you noted, a person has now been detained. There was a long rifle, so an AK style rifle, that was recovered with that person in the car after they were detained.
It is still unclear what exactly a motive was, but officials have told me as well as our colleague John Miller that they believe that Donald Trump was the intended target. Again, this would have been a suspect who was armed, essentially waiting for Donald Trump at a golf course in West Palm Beach. He was on lockdown. The entire course went into lockdown. It is unclear where Trump is at the moment, if that locked had been lifted, if he has moved back to his Mar-a-Lago resort or if he is still waiting currently at the golf course right now.
We are not intending to hear from the former president, but all of this is still very fluid. Obviously, as you said, we are waiting for several law enforcement press briefings on this issue as they try to sort out the details here of what exactly happened.
And Jessica, just to be very clear, this is somebody who obviously survived an assassination attempt earlier this year or just a few months ago. In addition to that has ramped up security and that includes both local law enforcement who are on him all the time or near him, securing perimeters when he is traveling, including in West Palm Beach as well as Secret Service. So it's unclear exactly how many more Secret Service officers would have been or agents would have been on the ground with them at this golf course.
I can tell you from my knowledge that generally they travel in different packs on different golf courses. You have people who are traveling behind him. There are people who are traveling in front of him all in order to secure him. And that has obviously been ramped up since that assassination attempt. And we're still again learning the details here of what exactly happened, where exactly Donald Trump was when these shots were fired.
But as you said, the campaign is saying that he is safe. And the Secret Service is saying that they have been investigating this as a protective incident. Obviously, that in itself goes to show you the serious nature of how they are taking this. They would not be investigating something that they believe was random and unaffiliated to the former president.
Now, what the outcome of that investigation is I'm sure we'll learn more details from the Secret Service briefing, but right now clearly, as officials have told John Miller and I, they do believe that Donald Trump was the intended target of this suspect who was armed and essentially on or near the golf course.
DEAN: All right. Kristen Holmes, with the latest reporting there, please stand by as we get more information. And just reminding everyone that's watching, we are standing by for a press conference from law enforcement that we are expecting within the next half hour. So we're going to keep our eye on that and we'll bring it to you as it happens.
In the meantime, I want to bring in a panel of law enforcement expert, Steve Moore, Charles Ramsey, Jonathan Wackrow, and John Miller here with us.
You all are watching this unfold with us.
And John, I want to start first with you because I know you've been doing reporting with Kristen Holmes who we just heard from. Help us understand what you're hearing right now and walk us through what you're learning.
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, we're waiting for the story to develop. But the initial reports were shots fired while president -- former president Trump was on the golf course. [16:05:02]
Secret Service returns fire. An individual was chased. Local police do a car stop on the highway. That individual in custody now, he has been identified by police. They know who he is, and they are continuing to investigate him. As Kristen said, reports that that gun was recovered in the car. They'll have to determine if he or that gun and that car was connected to this incident. The questions that are emerging are, were the shots fired at President
Trump on the golf course or did part of the Secret Service perimeter team that was searching the area for just such a threat confront the man with a rifle outside the perimeter and exchange shots with him? All of this still coming together. Hopefully, a story that will have crystallized into a second or third version that we'll get at this press briefing. In the meantime, the investigation of this individual in custody is -- got a lot of fast-moving wheels right now.
DEAN: Right. This is a story, as you mentioned, that is very much still developing. We have these beginning facts that we do know.
Jonathan Wackrow, I want to ask you as former Secret Service, Kristen mentioned, and we all remember the assassination attempt on former president Trump's life, not too long ago, that security has been increased around him. What role would they have played today? How does that factor into all of this?
JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, listen, you know, what we do know is that the Secret Service has said that they've, you know, put more protective assets towards the former president, and those protective assets, you know, most likely include more tactical agents, both from the counter assault team, sort of the tactical team that will be travelling at all locations with the former president.
More counter-sniper teams so when we think about the open air space of a golf course, the long-range threat is, you know, critically important to cover. So you'd have more counter sniper teams, but beyond that, if you think about the protective model of concentric rings radiating out from the protectee, the outer perimeter, more counter surveillance agents who are undercover agents that are working that outer perimeter.
Very specifically designed to identify those types of threats that could be lying in wait along tree lines, along motorcade routes, around any other areas. So again, to Commissioner Miller's point, we don't know if the engagement by Secret Service was from one of the tactical teams or was it from one of these, you know, counter surveillance team members whose job it is actually is to go out and interrupt the chain of attack. You know, so, again, we want to see if that crystallizes, you know, take a term from John Miller, during this upcoming press briefing.
But, Jessica, I just want to say that, you know, the operations around, protective operations around a golf course are very complex for the Secret Service because you have to think about, unlike a static stage location, you have to move your protective operation across 18 holes of a golf course. It's a lot of real estate to cover, but the Secret Service has put a model in place years ago, understanding that our protectees like to enjoy golf.
so the rolling bubble, if you will, you know, was put in to place. And as you go along, again, this threat may have been uncovered who is lying in wait, you know, by one of those advanced agents walking along the tree line. We don't know if there's any aerial surveillance as well. That is now typical with your protective operations. Again, looking ahead to see, you know, or identify any threats before they materialize.
So lot of questions yet to be answered. But I think we'll start, you know, garnering some of those, some of that information with a forthcoming press conference.
DEAN: Yes, that's going to be very, very important to ascertain exactly where they encountered the shooter.
I want to bring in CNN anchor and correspondent Kaitlan Collins, who is joining us as well.
And Kaitlan, I know you've been following this story as its unfolding.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. I mean, Jessica, it's remarkable to see that we are back in this place just a few weeks, really months after the first attempted assassination of Donald Trump as we're now trying to learn more about what happened in this situation. I'm very much still waiting on that briefing from officials to help clear a lot of this up. We know we've gotten great reporting from Evan Perez and John Miller that has been helpful at piecing together what was happening that Trump was on his golf course when this shooting took place.
We're still trying to figure out more about the details here. The one thing that is clear and is important and for everyone to know is that the Trump campaign, when they first confirmed that this had happened near in the former president's vicinity that they said that he is OK and that he is safe.
[16:10:00]
Obviously, that is the utmost concern that people have hearing this news given what just happened not long ago in Butler, Pennsylvania. And right now, we are looking at Donald Trump's motorcade. He had not yet returned to Mar-a-Lago. This is an important image here because that is that bridge coming across to Palm Beach. If you've been in the area, it's an island and then it's a bridge to get to West Palm Beach. That's where his golf course is actually located. It's not in Palm Beach where Mar-a-Lago, the beach club, is actually on the ocean front.
And so this is the first time that we're actually getting a look at the former president and his motorcade, albeit since we found out that this happened earlier this afternoon just before 2:00.
CNN's Kristen Holmes is also with us, and is following all of this.
And Kristen, just to let everyone know where the key players are, that's Donald Trump's motorcade. We're watching it closely and waiting to see if he actually speaks to the camera. There's a pool of reporters that go with him. J.D. Vance, the running mate, is also at the airport. He's about to leave Cincinnati, so we do have eyes on both of the members of the Republican ticket. That's Donald Trump's motorcade going over that Palm Beach Bridge again.
Kristen, we did just hear from Trump himself for the first time in his own words since this happened. What did he have to say?
HOLMES: Here's the fundraising e-mail with a link at the very bottom of it, but it is an e-mail talking about what happened. And he say --
COLLINS: Kristen, just quickly, I don't think you're mic is on. I just want to make sure everyone can hear whatever the update is for Donald Trump. I know you've been talking to sources, so that's why but I just want to make sure we can all hear what it was that Trump had to say for the first time since --
HOLMES: Perfect. Can you hear me now?
COLLINS: Go ahead.
HOLMES: I did take it off. Thank you for noting that. OK. So this is actually a fundraising e-mail that was done. It has a link at the bottom, but it is Trump responding to what happened, saying, I am safe and well. It says alert from Trump, there were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear it from me first. I am safe and well. Nothing will slow me down. I will never surrender. I will always love you for supporting me. Unity, peace, make America great again. May god bless you, Donald Trump.
And then as I noted, there is a link there to a fundraising page. Just one thing to quickly note as you were saying about this West Palm Beach golf club and going over to Mar-a-Lago, he has been under a lockdown at the West Palm Beach International Golf Club since this incident took place. So this means that that has now lifted, that they believe, Secret Service believes, and law enforcement believe that the position that he is in is now safe enough for him to travel in that motorcade, as you noted, back to Mar-a-Lago.
His team has been waiting to see when he would be allowed to go back to his Mar-a-Lago resort. Obviously, right now, the situation is incredibly fluid as we have been reporting -- Kaitlan.
COLLINS: And keep us updated if we're going to hear from Trump himself. Obviously, I know you've been talking to people around him. I've been talking to people around him. It's a very fluid situation as they're trying to still figure out the details of what exactly happened here and what the officials know as well until we are standing by.
Thank you, Kristen Holmes, for that.
I also want to bring in my colleague Wolf Blitzer.
Wolf, obviously, you know, it wasn't just that long ago that we were in this situation after what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, a different dynamic there, but we're still waiting to hear more from officials about this, Wolf. And I will say we are expecting to hear from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, an update on this of what happened and what the officials know based on the reporting that we have from John Miller and from Evan Perez about Donald Trump being on his golf course when someone who was intending to fire at him did so. And we do know -- believe that a person has been apprehended or
detained, I should note, by police as we are still waiting to learn more, Wolf, about this unfolding situation and certainly hear from officials themselves concrete information about what's been happening here.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, it's going to take some sometime clearly for the Secret Service, the FBI, local law enforcement out in Palm Beach County in Florida to get their act together and be able to do a briefing but they say it's going to be coming up soon. Of course, we'll have live coverage of that.
Kaitlan, you spent a lot of time as the White House correspondent. I spent seven years as the White House correspondent and I know this is pretty extraordinary. If in fact this was, if, and that's a huge if, if this was some sort of assassination attempt, two of these within a matter of weeks. It's a pretty, pretty amazing development right now.
COLLINS: Yes.
BLITZER: I spent years covering the White House. I don't remember when there was an assassination attempt when I was a White House reporter, but give us your thoughts of how incredibly amazing this is right now, what's going on.
COLLINS: Well, I just want to say one thing that is clear and that I was -- when I was talking and texting people about this right away, there were a few people on the golf course with Donald Trump. Some people have spoken to him personally since then, Senator Lindsey Graham posted an update about it himself. He called Donald Trump and spoke with him.
But, Wolf, I will say that ever since the shooting happened, the attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, when Donald Trump was on stage at his rally, the security around him has been incredibly tight. I mean, they've ramped it up, as you know, Wolf, from covering the White House, they already have a very intense level of protection and agents that are always with the president of the United States at all times.
[16:15:10]
And certainly that has always been the case with Donald Trump, but it has been only increased more so. You can see that reflected in his rallies when he's on stage now and they have the protective glass in front of him, or at the Republican convention when he spoke on stage. You saw two agents on each side of the stage, which isn't normally the case. They're not normally up there with him, but they've only really increased to this.
And of course, Wolf, I should note, this is all coming just days after the "Washington Post" reported late Friday night about the failures on the Secret Services' behalf that was -- they were determined by their own investigation that they were conducting into what went wrong in Butler, Pennsylvania. And now we're in this situation, obviously, and still waiting to get more information. And, Wolf, just to piece it together because Donald Trump spent a lot
of time in Palm Beach when I was covering him as a White House reporter, where his club is, is on the actual island of Palm Beach. That's where the Mar-a-Lago beach club is. That's where you've seen the events, the parties that he has, the meetings, and it is across a bridge that you just saw the motorcade come over about probably 15 to 20 minute drive, which is where his golf club is, the Trump International Golf Course. So they are two separate locations.
And there were times, you know, when Trump was golfing in his first term, Wolf, where reporters could see Trump out on the golf course. Oftentimes, CNN's photographers would be able to spot him with their cameras. That's how we would often find out that he was indeed on the golf course or who he was golfing width. So there is some visibility from the road.
Of course Wolf, we're still trying to learn a lot more about what it was that happened here, where Donald Trump was on that golf course. And of course, most importantly, what's happening with this investigation into who did this -- Wolf.
BLITZER: That is, as you correctly point out, the golf club, the actual golf course is not at Mar-a-Lago, which is his residence over there. It's in a different location in Palm Beach as we're watching all of them unfold.
Do we know, Kaitlan, if -- there's always a White House network pool of correspondents who are watching. Hold on one second, the sheriff of Palm Beach County is speaking right now. I want to listen in.
SHERIFF WILLIAM D. SNYDER, MARTIN COUNTY, FLORIDA: It's very urgent follow-up, asking all law enforcement for a specific vehicle with a tag number and an occupant description. We immediately swept I-95 out on the northbound lane, at every exit between Palm Beach and the Palm Beach line and the St. Louis County line. One of my local patrol units saw a vehicle, match the tag. And then we set up on the vehicle by using what we do here. We pinched in the car. It safely stopped and got the driver in custody.
Right now as we speak, the FBI, Secret Service, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is at the scene. They've responded there. They'll take over the investigation off (INAUDIBLE). Tow truck will tow the vehicle back to Palm Beach County. And I have a clear understanding from the investigators that we actually do have a suspect that they were looking for in Palm Beach County.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do we know that suspect's name yet?
SNYDER: We know his name and FBI clearly knows his name. I am not in a position to release that.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: I know that Trump posted on Truth Social that they had recovered an AK-47 I think near where the shooting incident happened. Anything that you can confirm for us if it's related?
SNYDER: I don't know any more about the scene in Palm Beach County than what you and the media have had determined. You know, I hear the same chatter. I think that will become more apparent in the next hour or so. It is my understanding from listening to the investigators there was a very serious incident down there and I'm sure they'll do something (INAUDIBLE) in the near future.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Absolutely. We had heard about a separate accident that occurred at some point on highway during this incident. Was there another accident involving pedestrians or not pedestrians but civilians?
SNYDER: Yes. There was a serious accident just south of where -- we had to stop all traffic. We had to clear that vehicle using our bomb detection dogs. We actually asked (INAUDIBLE) county sheriff's office. They came down here for highway patrol under the direction of Governor DeSantis, moved in, took over traffic, but unfortunately, before we could get evidence stabilized, there was a very serious accident and we're working at now.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you know the condition of those people involved?
SNYDER: I don't. I'm sorry.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: We had also heard from a couple of bystanders that they saw a woman at a time whisked away by deputy sheriff. We weren't sure if that was related to this incident?
SNYDER: Yes. No. No, we whisked nobody away. There was a lone driver in the vehicle. That driver is now in custody and in the hands of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What was his demeanor, Sheriff, when you approached the car?
SNYDER: The suspect's demeanor I would describe as having a relatively calm, flat, a fact was not displaying a lot of emotions, he never asked what is this about. Obviously law enforcement with long rifles, blue eyes locked on, he never questioned it.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Was he armed at the time or he or she?
[16:20:03]
SNYDER: He was not armed when we took them out of the car. Of course, we didn't do a search and I would suspect that they're getting a search warrant now. The FBI will take that car. We will transport it for them back to Palm Beach County into their office.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How long was the highway locked down to, you know, drivers on the road, hours?
SNYDER: I don't know -- still locked down. I have to come back here driving southbound and northbound lane was blocked off and kind of cross so I would tell your viewers to get on I-95 northbound.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do we know -- I had a lot of people stopping me, asking if the turnpike is clear. Is that still open?
SNYDER: The turnpike is good. To my knowledge, it was not involved in this incident.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Going back to the accident involving the civilians, do we know how many were in that car?
SNYDER: I don't have any information on the civilian car. It's not related to the investigation, except obviously tangentially because they crashed because of the traffic stop.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do we know, too -- I know you don't have much information but was it two civilians colliding or were they hit by a responding officer?
SNYDER: Yes. Your question about whether there was two, the one that's on that crash, I don't have the information. I'm sorry.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Anything else to add that I haven't asked you about?
SNYDER: Well, we're very pleased with the cooperation we've had from the Florida Highway Patrol, Palm Beach County sheriff's office flew their helicopter in here to assist us. The FBI and Secret Service. You could not ask for better inter-agency cooperation.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sheriff, how, with complications, after you got that BOLO, how quickly do you think Martin County Sheriff's Office was able to stop that car?
SNYDER: Yes, the time between when the BOLO came out and when we had the vehicle was no time at all. I just sat down to have my only second cup of coffee here today. And as soon as I heard the BOLO, be on the lookout, and the moment I knew we'd catch the car, I stop my car, and started getting ready to come out here. And sure enough, we got the car.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Perfect. Thank you. I really appreciate it. Great to see you.
SNYDER: You're so welcome. Of course.
BLITZER: All right. So, yes, so, Kaitlan, so there you have the sheriff of Martin County, which is right next to Palm Beach County. The Sheriff William Snyder updating us that the suspect who was detained, it was relatively calm at that moment. And apparently, they also found an AK-47 assault rifle that may have been involved in this, what he described as this very serious incident right now.
And I was going to ask you, Kaitlan, as a former White House correspondent, you know there is always a pool of White House correspondents who traveled with the president, cover the president, and they then -- they file a report for all of the news media on what they're seeing and what they're hearing.
COLLINS: Yes. BLITZER: Have we received a White House pool report yet?
COLLINS: Wolf, we haven't because actually since Donald Trump is now candidate Trump, he does not always have a pool of reporters with him. He doesn't have the typical pool that you would see with Vice President Harris or with President Biden. And so that is why we don't -- we're still piecing together more details about what we're learning. Typically those reporters wouldn't be on the golf course anyway, Wolf, but they would obviously be traveling with him.
So there were not reporters with him when you saw that that motorcade coming back, but something else that stood out to me from what Sheriff Will Snyder just said there, Wolf, in addition to Trump confirming that they found an AK-47 and that was what was recovered, the sheriff said that they know the suspect's -- that they know the person's name that was detained in that car.
That image so you could just see, he declined to say it publicly, but he said that that car was also cleared using a bomb detection dog, and that that vehicle that you saw that is apparently related to this is now in the hands of the FBI. He says that they will help with transporting it for the FBI back to Palm Beach County. It's unclear, obviously, what else is going to happen, but he did say a male driver is in the custody and in the hands of the FBI at this time, Wolf.
So that's an incredibly notable confirmation there from the sheriff about where they are in this investigation. Obviously, there's still a lot of questions about, you know, the license plate on that car. Who was that car registered to? What are the details of that? And also where it was in relation to the golf course. When you look at this and where Trump was, I will say, Wolf, the golf course is obviously an incredibly difficult area for the Secret Service to be able to secure it.
It's an open area, it's shrouded with trees. It's not often easy to get a glimpse of Donald Trump when he's on that golf course, which he, you know, typically, it's pretty predictable that he's there. He spent a lot of his time there and it wouldn't be, you know, unknown to someone that he would be there. You can see his motorcade going in and out when he's on the property. And so I think there are still a lot of questions and hopefully we are still going to get that briefing from officials in addition to the questions that we just got there of what exactly they do know about what happened here.
You can see, Wolf, that the area is closed off, and that area he was telling people not to get on I-95 as we're waiting to get a more fulsome update hopefully, Wolf, from officials.
BLITZER: Yes, we expect that briefing and you can see live pictures coming in right now to come from the Secret Service, the FBI and local law enforcement.
[16:25:04]
Jonathan Wackrow, you know a lot about the Secret Service. Give us your sense, how much more information do you think we will get during this upcoming briefing?
WACKROW: Well, you know, listen, I hope that we'll receive a lot more, but, Wolf, you know, when you think about the elements of this attack, right? Unlike Butler where the shooter really was in plain sight for an awful long time, the shooter in this incident you had cover and concealment, or at least some level of cover and concealment along that -- along the wood line. You know, and because of that, you know, you can really start to believe that the attacker actually had some level of a line of sight to where the former president was.
Now, were they in the actual range to launch an attack or were they discovered by some of these counter surveillance or other agents that, you know, really constitute the enhanced security measures around the former president. But the key factor here is the accessibility that this attacker had to the secure site. Really the ease of ingress and egress in really the thought that there was some level of an escape route.
All of this to me starts to signal a more elevated attack than something that was just a spontaneous, right? You'd start thinking about the weapon that was utilized, the backpack, the GoPro, the ease of ingressive and egress with a specific escape route. So all of these elements, you know, starting to get pieced together, start painting a really bad picture around this attacker and the intent that they had, you know, to attack the former president.
BLITZER: Yes, it's a very, very serious development indeed.
And Kaitlan, I know we're getting more and more information all the time, but update our viewers, what else are you hearing?
COLLINS: Yes, Wolf, as we're standing by for that official press conference that we'll bring to you live when officials are ready, we are hearing from Trump himself in a fundraising e-mail. He posted an update, but also he has been on the phone as well. He has spoken to Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, obviously a close ally of his.
Sunlen Serfaty is at the White House tracking that down where I should note, of course, Vice President Harris has been briefed on this issue. She posted an update on this incident, what happened there.
Sunlen, what are we hearing from Senator Graham about his conversation with Donald Trump?
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yet Kaitlan, Senator Lindsey Graham, one of his top allies and friends on Capitol Hill, and Senator Graham said he just spoke with President Trump just moments ago. He says that Trump is in good spirits following today's incident. He adds that Trump is more resolved than ever to save our country. And Graham also noted that he believes he is one of the strongest people he's ever known.
So notable that Trump now is working the phone, was reaching out to some of his allies and friends as no doubt, they likely will be checking in on him after this incident. Earlier today, we did learn that Vice President Harris and President Biden were both briefed on this incident. Both of them are in D.C. this weekend. They have no public events on their schedule and they expressed relief that he is safe. Relief that he is -- and glad, saying glad that he is safe after this incident.
We all are also, Kaitlan, hearing from other members of Congress asking questions about this incident, most notably, recently from Congressman Mike Waltz from Florida. He says that he wants to be briefed by the U.S. Secret Service over this incident this week. And noted again, harkening back to Butler, Pennsylvania, that incident in July, the attempted assassination attempt of President Trump, he said, quote, "As I've said before, the July 13th assassination attempt was not an isolated incident. We can take our time investigating as domestic and foreign threats are ongoing."
So notable there at least one member of congress, Kaitlan, calling for a briefing from the U.S. Secret Service next week -- Kaitlan.
COLLINS: Yes. And I expect we'll probably hear a lot more of those calls from officials as they're still investigating the first assassination attempt as trying to figure out what happened here in this moment.
Sunlen Serfaty, thank you for that report.
And Wolf, I'll just note, you know, we were hearing from Sheriff Will Snyder in Martin County, for people who are looking at the map or not sure whether it is, or wondering why it's the sheriff, Martin County is right north of Palm Beach, right? Right north of West Palm Beach, which is where of course Donald Trump's course was. And he was talking about where they apprehended that vehicle and the person that they now have in the custody of the FBI.
He was describing this person as having a calm demeanor when they apprehended him. Obviously, still a lot of questions for this person. I imagine that's what officials are doing right now, Wolf, but that is where Martin County is. It is just north of West Palm Beach. If that gives us any indication of the direction this person was going in or what their intentions were there, Wolf.
[16:30:07]
BLITZER: Yes, that's significant information. What else are you learning, John?
MILLER (via Webex): Well, as we said in the beginning of this reporting, you know, this information is preliminary. It was expected to shift and change.
What we've developed is a little bit of a richer picture. Law enforcement originally said shots were fired, they believed, at President Trump. That Secret Service returned fire.
As they are interviewing the agents involved and getting this richer picture, it appears now that, as President Trump was golfing at whichever holes he was golfing at, the Secret Service team that was with him is advancing forward of that location, so they can clear those areas and double check them. And, at some point, see this individual with a rifle pointing out from behind a tree line or a wooded area, that they go confront this individual.
And that the shooter, with the A.K.-47 or this semi-automatic rifle, does not fire shots, but is confronted by Secret Service who fires shots at him. He drops the weapon and fleas. Witnesses see him get into that car.
And the sheriff, Snyder, told us, and that's the Martin County Sheriff not the Palm Beach County Sheriff, that be on the lookout for that vehicle. Went out. They flooded the highway.
If you could go -- if you can still bring it up to the picture of that car stopped at that site. You know, what you see there is a classic vehicle containment technique or a VCT. Where one car gets in front of them. Backs into him. The other car gets behind him. And the third car blocks him in. And they come out with those long rifles pointed at him and start to give him commands. Which he complied with and, of course, then the search of that car.
The FBI will be taking over the investigation into the shooter and into this individual's background and into what he was doing, allegedly, in that area with that rifle as the former president was playing golf just a short distance away. And that is probably some of the details that we hope to get more on at this upcoming briefing from local and federal authorities.
BLITZER: I'm sure we'll get a lot more information. And, John Miller, what does it say to you that they found, near the scene of all of this at the at this golf course, an A.K.-47-style rifle.
MILLER: So, that speaks to -- and, you know, we've heard reporting. The problem is when people who aren't familiar with guns, eyewitnesses and others describe it -- you know, it goes from A.R.-15 style to A.K.-47. But we've been told A.K.-47 which is a foreign-made rifle.
You know, the A.R.-15 as the all-American gun that, you know, Americans knew from what our soldiers carried in, you know, the last three wars. The A.K.-47 is a Russian-made gun. There are many Chinese- made copies.
But it is readily available at weapon stores and favored by some shooters. Remember, Wolf, we have a very brittle time in American politics, where tensions are high. We have a previous assassination attempt against former President Trump that we all remember from very recent days. We still have the potential reactions to some of the controversies that have been stirred up, just since the debate, about a number of issues which could inflame people.
But we also have, and this is important to note, the Iranian threat which is because President Trump, when in office, ordered the killing of Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian government had vowed to find a senior government official, up to an including the president, to take revenge on that. And we will also recall, just last -- in the last few days, the arrest of an individual named Merchant from Pakistan, who was working with the Iranians to recruit assassination attempts for high-level officials on the ground.
So, one of the problems in this case, as they try to develop background on this individual, he's not from the area and he's in his late 50s, is who is he? Who has he been in touch with? Where has he traveled?
[16:35:00]
MILLER: What are -- what are -- what do his computers and other media say? And they're at the very beginning stages of that with more than one motive out there in the ether.
BLITZER: And it's interesting, the last several days, several law enforcement sources, including sources within the Secret Service and the FBI, have told me that, as a result of the assassination attempt a few weeks ago in Pennsylvania, involving the former president, security has been beefed up not just for Trump but for the President -- for President Biden, Vice President Harris, and other top officials as well.
This is -- this is just out of it -- is presumption of caution right now. They're very worried about the attitude, right now, of what's going on. You -- I'm sure you've heard the same thing.
MILLER: I have. And this has, obviously, stretched the Secret Service. But there's a level of intensity around the president, the vice president, who is now a presidential candidate, the former president, who is a presidential candidate, and others.
And, I think, if you look at what happened today, the fact that Secret Service agents were moving forward and managed to interdict this, whatever it was. And, again, we're still trying to determine, did this individual get off a shot or were the shots just at him from the Secret Service, who confront a man near the former president in the woods with a semiautomatic rifle?
So, we have we have a -- we have a lot to learn here.
BLITZER: And, presumably, we'll start getting some answers very, very soon, once the Secret Service briefing begins. And we're told not just Secret Service representatives, but FBI representatives and local police will be at the microphones there, briefing us on what's going on. We're standing by for live coverage of that as well.
Kaitlan, I know you're getting more information as well.
COLLINS: Yes, Wolf. We're waiting to hear from officials on more on what they know as this investigation is ongoing and what they've learned. Now, that Donald Trump was on the golf course when this has happened. He is now back at his Mar-A-Lago club.
I should note, we saw his motorcade returning earlier after the club -- the golf club where he was, the course had been on lockdown for quite some time. That's why he had not yet gone back to the Mar-A-Lago club, which is, of course, across that bridge inside Palm Beach, about 15-minute drive away.
CNN's Kristen Holmes has been talking to her sources. And, Kristen, I understand you're learning more about just kind of the timeline of what happened on the golf course. Walk us through what you and our team is learning.
HOLMES: Yes, Kaitlan. So, here is what we were told. We were told that Donald Trump was on the golf course, as we had noted, between holes five and six. He was moving between holds five and six.
Now, he has a Secret Service team who was with them, as we have reported. They travel both ahead of him, so an advanced Secret Service, as well as behind him to kind of bookend the former president.
So, we were told that that team that was ahead of him, a number of holes ahead of him, engaged with this suspect ahead of him. And that is when this incident occurred. Then, I'm also told that Donald Trump was then, essentially, taken away in a golf cart.
He was with Steve Witkoff, who is a megadonor as well as an ally of the former for president. They were golfing together this Sunday. And then, they were taken to the course where, as you noted, they were put on lockdown.
So, really the news here, and John Miller said part of this, is that that advanced team was the one who first engaged with the suspect that was just a few holes ahead of Donald Trump. He, himself, was traveling between holes five and six. At least that's what we were told by someone who was briefed on the matter.
COLLINS: OK. So, this is really important because, essentially, what we are hearing is that Secret Service fired first at this individual, as a protective measure. That they, essentially -- because they walk a few holes ahead of where Donald Trump is on the 18-hole course. Is that right?
HOLMES: Yes. And so, they would have engaged with him. They shot at him. We still don't understand if there was an exchange of fire. But we do know that Secret Service did release rounds towards this suspect, who was ahead of Donald Trump.
Now, this is a very big golf course. That does not take away the significance of this the event, but it will show you that they were ahead of him a significant ways when this incident occurred. But still very much in the vicinity of Donald Trump.
And, obviously, as we have been reporting over and over again, officials do believe the intended target was the former president.
COLLINS: Well -- and, Kristen, I think part of this is the service and the protection around Donald Trump has certainly been always present, of course, since he became a major candidate back in 2015. But ever since the attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, I mean, you can see it when you're around him. That, you know, they check everyone's bags. They wand everyone down that even comes in his vicinity and is around him.
But when it comes to securing something like the golf course, as you just noted, it's a pretty large area spread out across several acres in West Palm Beach. I mean, do we have any indication of what this looks like?
[16:40:00]
COLLINS: You know, there are agents with him. But as far as securing the perimeter and making sure, you know, any changes there, since what happened in Butler.
HOLMES: What we do know is that, overall, there have been road closures in West Palm and Palm Beach, because of what happened in Butler. That is particularly, though, around his Mar-A-Lago resort.
We are unclear if there was any kind of precaution taken around this golf club, which he frequently a attends. He frequently holds meetings at. He plays golf at. He even has a campaign meetings with his staff there, as well as various lawmakers who come down to Palm Beach to meet with him as well as donors.
So, what they did, in terms of local P.D., Secret Service, to block off this area is very unclear. And, as you can see here, it's a heavily-wooded area. So, you can see in the picture there, they'd have to do a lot to block off that area. There's quite a bit of foliage there, which is what we are understanding. Something came, as John Miller said, from a tree line or that area looking down at the golf course.
But just overall, he has had ramped-up security at almost every event and at his homes in Bedminster as well as Mar-A-Lago, including those road closures.
Just for one example. I was at an event recently, where I talked to a number of Secret Service agents who had come from headquarters in Washington, who had volunteered to be there as part of this kind of entourage of Secret Service agents. As they've really tried to beef up the security around Donald Trump.
I am unclear, and this is one of the things that I've been asking about, when that advance team of Secret Service began traveling with him. Because it hasn't always been that there were multiple teams traveling all around him on the golf course.
But, clearly at this time, I'm not sure if it was related to the assassination attempt or if that's something that has just come into practice in recent years. But he, here, clearly had a team, both behind him that whisked him away and nearby by enough to him, as well as this team that was scouting out ahead of the holes. And that is the team that we know engaged with the suspect. COLLINS: Yes. Yes, and that's the question about the perimeter. Because, you know, if you're going into Mar-A-Lago or going into the Trump golf course, obviously there is a security perimeter or a security measure at the entrance. You go through magnetometers. They wand people down. They check to make sure they're on the list. But the perimeter is a whole different animal, as we're waiting to learn more.
Kristen Holmes, I know you'll continue talking to your sources. As you hear more, come back to us.
And Wolf, obviously, you know, as we've been looking at this, it's just this effort where we're waiting to hear from officials about this. But I've just been talking to several people in Trumps orbit that are stunned. That this is a conversation that we're even having again right now. After just living what they went through in Butler, Pennsylvania, with that attempted assassination that we all witnessed on camera, where he was on stage.
And now, you know, a lot of people who are getting calls or were speaking with Donald Trump today, Wolf, just say that they're shocked that this is, again, what they're witnessing. As they, themselves, are waiting to hear more from officials about what they know about the person, that the sheriff said earlier, that they do have in custody of the FBI.
BLITZER: Yes. And, Kaitlan, I've been getting texts from friends, down in Palm Beach County, saying whole areas around Mar-A-Lago have now been cordoned off and roads have been closed out of a protect -- to protect the former president and others, potentially, who are there as well.
So, it's, obviously, expanding right now, all of the security concerns which are enormous, given what's just happened over the past couple hours or so.
Charles Ramsey is joining us. He's the former D.C. police chief, former police commissioner in Philadelphia as well. We heard a little bit just now, from the sheriff from Martin County, just north of Palm Beach County. What goes through your mind, Chief Ramsey, listening to the information that we're getting, at least so far.
CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, I mean, I'm like everyone else. It is shocking that, you know, just a couple of months ago in Butler, Pennsylvania. And now, we're having the same conversation, again. And you have to be concerned about that sort of thing.
Fortunately, this looks like a situation where the security that he has, the Secret Service, were able to intervene at a point in time where there was no direct threat, immediate threat I should say, to the -- to the president. In other words, we don't know if it was a shot fired. But it doesn't sound like any shot was fired by the suspect. But it is something of great concern.
One thing, though, I think it's really important to note how fast the information was put out on the vehicle. They had a tag number. They put a bolo out beyond the lookout. And police were able to intercept that car pretty quickly and apprehend the driver. So, everyone worked very fast and it was well coordinated. So, as far as communications went and so forth. So, that's a good part of it. We'll find out more, as time goes on, after this press conference.
But, again, it is very concerning. This is the second time, if this -- if the information we have now proves to be accurate.
[16:45:00]
RAMSEY: Not only for the former president, but for all the candidates. I mean, the threats are out there, and you -- and you have to really, really take them seriously.
BLITZER: And, indeed, an important point you're making, because I've heard exactly the same thing from other law enforcement sources. Not just the former president, Donald Trump, but for other candidates right now, including the serving president of the United States and the vice president, Kamala Harris, who is the Democratic presidential nominee. Security is being beefed up dramatically for all of them, over these past several days, since the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, as well.
So, we're watching all of this very, very closely. And what intrigues me, the notion that they found an A.K.-47-style assault rifle. How accurate would that be from a distance on a golf course, Chief?
RAMSEY: Well, one of the issues that we have is that we don't know what the distance from that tree line to the actual golf course. I would assume that it's close enough for person, if he had a scope on that weapon, to be able to fire around that could have effect.
So, it, obviously, is a very dangerous weapon. It's a high-powered weapon. Once we see the weapon to see whether or not this individual had a scope, we don't know anything about this person's background. Does he have military training? John mentioned he's in his late 50s. That's new information. And it's unusual, someone that age, to be involved in something like this.
But, again, a lot of information is emerging. But the fact that the Secret Service was out in front advancing, and they spotted this individual. That's critically important because, you know, it worked. The enhanced security worked this time.
BLITZER: Yes, and if there's -- I'm sure there's going to be a lot of investigations. A lot of reviews, commissions of inquiry to make sure that the Secret Service was doing precisely what they're supposed to be doing, protecting the former president of the United States, while he's simply out on a Sunday afternoon playing golf right there.
So, let's stand by for the Secret Service briefing that supposedly will begin momentarily. We're waiting for that. We'll, of course, have live coverage. Chief Ramsey, we'll get back to you. Thank you very, very much.
I think we have Randi Kaye on the phone for us. Oh, she's live for us right now. Randy, you're there outside Mar-A-Lago. Tell us what you're hearing and what you're seeing right now.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Actually, Wolf, we're right outside here at Trump International Golf Course, not too far from Mar-A-Lago. But I can tell you that the law enforcement presence is certainly real here.
Just getting here was a challenge, just speaking to that for a moment. I came from where I was about 25 minutes away and it took me quite some time to get here. Even just getting down Highway 95, which I know the Martin County Sheriff was talking about earlier. It was completely shut down. There's law enforcement presence throughout.
And then, we -- I got -- I was about two minutes from this live-shot location. We all got pushed into a parking lot. That included myself, other cars, people on bicycles, pedestrians, quickly put away into this other -- put to the side, this other parking lot, because that was when the motorcade was just about to move.
They were finally -- had finally deemed it safe to move the former president from here at Trump International. So, we did get some video of that -- of the motorcade moving.
But, Wolf, this has been on lockdown. As you know, the golf course went into lockdown immediately when those shots were fired. The Secret Service firing at that -- at that individual who was later apprehended.
But I can tell you that it's still very much an active scene here. There is, as you can see, more security outside Trump International Golf Course. Here, there's a gate to get into the golf course, Wolf. But, as you can imagine, a golf course on a Sunday, it could be busy. There's certainly a lot of ground to cover.
And when you heard John Miller talking about Secret Service spotting that individual through the trees, or seeing the rifle at least pointing through the trees on that golf course, that is certainly incredible that they were able to do that. When it's so difficult just to get inside Trump International.
So, once again, we -- it does appear that the former president has left here. He is safe. We saw about 10 cars going by.
And just getting back -- just one note, Wolf. Just because I do live here in Florida, Martin County, where they did put out the bolo to apprehend this individual, that is about an hour from the front gate of this golf course. So, it's about an hour north.
So, just to give you some idea of where this all went down, in terms of timing and in terms of location -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Randi Kaye on the scene for us, as she always is. Randi, thank you very, very much.
Kaitlan, this story has so many questions right now that are crying out for answers. We should be getting some of those answers soon, when we have live coverage of that Secret Service briefing. We expect it to begin fairly soon.
COLLINS: Yes, Wolf. And I do want to read you a new statement that we have. Just gotten in here at CNN from the FBI about what has happened at Donald Trumps golf course down in West Palm Beach, Florida.
[16:50:01]
COLLINS: I'm quoting the FBI now. It says, "The FBI has responded to West Palm Beach, Florida, and is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump." Wolf, it is just that one ward state -- that one sentence from the FBI. We are waiting to learn more.
But it is absolutely stunning that just a few weeks after what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, with the attempted assassination that we all watched and witnessed on camera during his rally that day. Now, the FBI says they are invested to getting what appears to be a second attempted assassination of Donald Trump, Wolf.
And it's just -- it's remarkable. They're still investigating the first attempted assassination, and now here they are on the scene in Palm Beach, Florida, dealing with what they say appears to be a second one, Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes, we all remember the video from that first assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, when that bullet grazed the president's ear. We remember the blood coming out of the president's ear.
In this particular case, the president is fine. He was not hit. He's safe. And that was immediately released by his campaign in a formal statement. And thank God for that.
But we're watching all of this so closely right now. An attempted assassination, a second attempted assassination. And that's from the FBI. That's what they're saying.
Are they giving, in their statement, Kaitlan, any additional explanation of why they're calling it an attempted assassination?
COLLINS: No, Wolf. But this reminds me of exactly what happened that day in Butler, Pennsylvania, when there were so many questions initially after Trump was rushed off stage. Obviously, we all saw the blood on his face immediately after.
But there were questions about what the FBI was officially calling it. I mean, we knew what we had witnessed, but there were questions about what had happened. And then, it was later on when they, you know, chillingly, referred to it as that for the first time in print.
This is now the second time that we are seeing them refer to it as an a -- what they believe and what they are investigating, what appears to be, is the language they use, the word, appears, to be an attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. Obviously, something that his team is also still reeling from. Kristen Holmes has been talking to her sources about this. And, Kristen, what more are you hearing from officials? Because, obviously, on a weekend like this, Donald Trump is not often surrounded by a ton of his political team.
We know Steve Witkoff, who is a big donor of his, who was with him every day at his trial here in New York, for example, and spends a lot of time with him. He was there with him on the golf course.
But it's not like a typical, you know, traveling event where Trump has a ton of political team around him. What are they saying about this new statement from the FBI?
HOLMES: Well, look, they are convinced that he was the target. They have been convinced, we were told by officials, that they believed Donald Trump was the target. And, clearly, now the FBI is saying on the record that they are investigating what appears to be a second assassination attempt of the former president.
But there are a lot of questions here, Kaitlan, about how exactly this person would have had access to the fact, not just the golf course itself, but the information that Donald Trump would have been at the golf course. They would have had to have been looking at him closely on his schedule.
I can tell you, just for example, last week, he bounced around between Trump Tower in New York, Bedminster, and Mar-A-Lago. And that was all in between various campaign events. People who are even some of his closest allies didn't know that he was currently at Mar-A-Lago in West Palm Beach. Let alone that he was out on the golf course today. It's incredibly hot in Florida. Not clear that it would be a golfing day.
But this is something that his campaign is already asking questions about. How did this person, potentially, have the kind of information of his whereabouts that even some of his closest staff didn't know where he was.
Now, I've also talked to a number of people. Just a reminder, they did move campaign headquarters down to West Palm Beach, so a lot of those aides and advisers do live down there.
But, as you noted, it's not that they were with him at every second. He is out there. This is not a campaign of them. This is not a working day. He is out there with not only a megadonor, but a friend of his, Steve Witkoff, golfing, as we see him do often.
But this is already starting to raise more and more questions as to how exactly this could happen, again. And it's not, again, just about the fact that this person was able to get in the vicinity of Donald Trump in the woods or the wooded area near his golf course, to even be close enough to engage with Secret Service who was ahead of Donald Trump.
But, also, just the idea of his whereabouts and how this person could have gotten that kind of level of information. What they were tracking of the former president. This is something that maybe secret service will discuss in this press conference.
But there are a lot of questions around, right now, what happened. In particular, now, that this has been confirmed on the record, that this appears to be a second assassination attempt.
[16:55:04]
HOLMES: As you said, his team is still reeling from what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania. In fact, they have been talking about that pretty much nonstop with me at various junctures in this campaign since it happened. What we have -- what we saw there. The security measures that were in place. Now, how that changed the dynamic with security, both on the ground, on the plane. They have less seats on the plane now for campaign, because they have so much more security.
So, there have -- they have a number of enormous changes that have happened since Butler. But, yet, we are now looking at, again, as the FBI says, what appears to be another assassination attempt on the former president.
COLLINS: Yes. And, obviously, the campaign office is also down there in West Palm Beach. And I'm being told by a person familiar, they have now sent the staff home.
But they had to lock down the campaign office when this happened earlier this afternoon, I'm told, because so many people were in the building. So many staffers were in the building. And that police officers did come -- West Palm Beach Police, I believe, did come to secure the Trump campaign office that is down there.
I want to note, just for everyone watching, we are waiting to get a briefing from the Secret Service, from the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office right now. That's what you're looking at on the right-hand side of your screen. We've seen officials coming in and out.
We are expecting them to start any moment now, as we are watching this. And witnessing what is now, according to the FBI and what they're investigating, what they say appears to be the second attempted assassination of Donald Trump in just two months.
It was July 13th that that someone tried to kill Donald Trump, while he was on stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, at a rally. And just remarkable that, even though, obviously, he is safe here. This was not what, based on what we know so far, what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania. But still just a remarkable moment.
Kristen, what more can you tell us about this campaign office down there in West Palm Beach and where its situated? And is that the headquarters exactly where most of the team operates out of? What does that look like?
HOLMES: Yes. So, there's a couple of separate different areas that they operate off of. Obviously, Donald Trump, himself, is always at Mar-A-Lago. His senior staff and advisers have offices that are in West Palm Beach but also at Mar-A-Lago as well. Not offices but they're often meeting with the former president there. We know that, over the last several weeks, that there's staff, particularly junior aides to former President Donald Trump, who are working seven days a week. There are 50-some days left until the election. And it is a constant sprint for this campaign.
So, its unsurprising that they were people inside of that office that is in downtown-ish West Palm Beach. So, probably a roughly 12-minute drive from Mar-A-Lago. And that there are a number -- as I said, a number of senior aides and advisers, as well as junior staffers, who have all moved down to the West Palm Beach area.
And just a reminder that, in the days after the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, there was a memo sent out by campaign managers, Susie Wiles and Chris Lacivita, essentially telling staffers not to go into the office. Not just in West Palm Beach, but around the country, just to keep them safe.
There was a heightened amount of insecurity and anxiety among people who are close to former President Donald Trump. While they did not believe that any of these offices were intended targets, law enforcement did secure all of these offices around the country, particularly one outside of Washington, D.C. and in West Palm Beach, Florida, to make sure that those staffers were safe. They were told to work from home at that time.
I will tell you that there's been a lot more ease after Butler in the recent weeks. People felt like -- that security had really ramped up. That they felt safer, particularly with that increased Secret Service presence.
And just a reminder, it's not just the Secret Service presence. We've also seen an increased local law enforcement presence. In front of Mar-A-Lago, many of the streets are blocked off. They are highway exits that are, at times, blocked off to Palm Beach, if he is traveling in and out of the area. It's not particularly happy for some of the people who live there who have complained to me about it.
But we do know that those are some of the increased security measures that they have taken. So, it's not surprising that that office was shut down or at least searched and put on lockdown, the same way that the Trump International Golf Course was, just out of an abundance of security. Because that had been a very big concern of the campaigns, as they were facing the aftermath of that Butler, Pennsylvania, assassination attempt.
COLLINS: And, Kristen Holmes, thank you for that. We are seeing officials start to get to the microphones. Let's listen in and see what they're saying.
RIC BRADSHAW, SHERIFF, PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA (live): Do you guys want to come over?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
BRADSHAW: OK, guys, you're ready?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
BRADSHAW: A little rules on the road (ph), like we always talk about ahead of time.
