‘Not a Long Distance’: Police Reveal Just How Close Trump Was When Would-Be Assassin Was Spotted By Secret Service & Engaged

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and other law enforcement officials held a short briefing on Sunday to release information on the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump on his golf course in Florida, and revealed how close Trump was to the would-be killer.

Speaking with reporters Sunday afternoon , Bradshaw noted that a Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of the rifle near the next hole Trump would play on the course, and was able to interrupt the alleged planned assassination.

“The Secret Service agent that was on the course did a fantastic job,” the sheriff said. “What they do is they have an agent that jumps one hall ahead of time to where the president was at. And he was able to spot this rifle barrel sticking out of the fence and immediately engage that individual, at which time the individual took off.”

Photos show AK-47, backpack, and Go-Pro camera in ‘assassin’s nest’ on Trump golf course. (AP Photo/Stephany Matat)

During the Q&A, a reporter asked both the sheriff and the Secret Service to clarify what the agent saw.

“[The agent] noticed that the rifle was pointed out. Our agents engaged. We are not sure right now if the individual was able to take a shot at our agents. But for sure our agents were able to engage with the, with the subject,” the representative from the Secret Service at the briefing explained.

Asked if the suspect was hit by any shots fired, they replied that it did not appear to be so.

Another reporter asked how far the former president was from where the would-be assassin was lying in wait.

“Probably between three and five hundred yards,” Bradshaw answered. “But with a rifle and a scope like that, that’s not a long distance.”

Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett , speaking with Fox News on Sunday, sai8d that this was unacceptably close.

“Why in the world would anybody be anywhere near the perimeter of this, this line of sight that we talk about, is just beyond me,” he said.

Watch the clip above via The Times and The Sunday Times on YouTube .