Trump praises Secret Service agent at golf course, but Butler ‘a very different story’

Former President Trump, in light of the second apparent assassination attempt against him, praised the Secret Service agent who spotted the suspect at his golf club over the weekend and reacted quickly, contrasting it with the first attempt in July, when a bullet grazed his ear.

“And, in this particular case, you had a very sharp agent, as good as you could find, and did a fantastic job,” Trump said Tuesday night in an interview on Fox News’s “Hannity.” 

“But somebody could have missed the barrel of that rifle,” he told the host Sean Hannity. “Somebody of lesser talents or somebody that was distracted could have missed or could have been shot, I mean, frankly, could have also been shot.” 

Trump said the incident at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Fla., “worked out very well” but stated the incident at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., where a gunman killed one and wounded two attendees before he was shot down by Secret Service earlier this summer, was a “very different story.” 

“Now, Butler’s a very different story,” Trump said. “Somebody should have been on that building. And that’s a different story. But they also showed great … they were very brave, because, when those bullets were flying, they were … they were … trying to protect me.” 

Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old would-be assassin, perched on top of a building near the July rally and opened fire. Secret Service agents quickly huddled around the GOP nominee and the gunman was killed.

Although Trump initially praised the agents for doing a “fantastic job” protecting him, the agency faced scrutiny for not securing the surrounding area. Then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was called to testify before Congress, and following a disastrous appearance, she resigned in late July. 

The latest assassination threat occurred Sunday when Secret Service agents spotted a man allegedly poking his rifle through the golf course’s perimeter. The agent opened fire toward the alleged perpetrator, who dropped his firearm and fled before firing shots of his own.

Authorities found two bags, a loaded rifle with a scope and other items at the scene.

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was later apprehended and charged Monday with two federal gun crimes related to unlawful possession of a weapon as a convicted felon and using a firearm with obliterated serial numbers.

A federal investigation into the incident is ongoing, and more charges could be brought. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) also revealed Tuesday that the state is launching its own criminal probe into the apparent assassination attempt.