Trump Speaks Out After Assassination Attempt At Florida Golf Course; FBI Leads Investigation

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has given his first public comments on the assassination attempt against him Sunday.

Video from the Trump campaign shows the former president thanking Florida deputies who stopped and arrested the man suspected in the apparent assassination attempt.

"I'm still here," Trump said.

The Republican nominee publicly recounted how Sunday’s golf game came to an abrupt end.

“All of a sudden we heard shots being fired in the air, and I guess probably four or five," Trump said.

Trump’s golf partner, Steve Witkoff, told CBS News he was just 10 yards away from the former president when he saw the Secret Service jump into action.

“They had him surrounded,” Witkoff said. “They were moving him to a faster cart, they were putting themselves noticeably between him and where the sniper, the assassin, was identified to being.”

On Monday, the acting head of the Secret Service visited the golf course and briefed Trump and the public.

"The subject, who did not have line of sight to the president, fled the scene," Ronald Rowe, U.S. Secret Service acting director, said. "He did not fire or get off any shots at our agents."

According to CBS News correspondent Cristian Benavides, "The Secret Service says former president Trump now has the highest level of Secret Service protection, and has had that same level since July. President Biden ordered stepped-up protection after the first attempted assassination in July."

The FBI is leading the investigation into Ryan Wesley Routh, including his social media posts and online searches.

Last year, Routh, who has a lengthy criminal record, self-published a book about the Ukraine war and urged Iran to assassinate Trump.

Routh appeared in court Monday on two federal gun charges.

“We will all work together to tirelessly determine accountability in this matter," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said. "We will spare no resource in this investigation."

Additional charges are possible.

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has expressed interest in having his state take the lead in the investigation. He questioned whether the U.S. Justice Department can be fair since they are prosecuting Trump on election interference and the mishandling of classified documents.