史蒂夫·威特科夫，前总统的朋友和捐赠者唐纳德·特朗普-周二告诉“早安美国”，在周日的明显暗杀企图中保护共和党总统候选人的特勤局特工做了“他们应该做的事情”
维特科夫和前总统一起在佛罗里达州西棕榈滩的特朗普国际高尔夫俱乐部，当时特勤局特工向潜在的枪手瑞安·韦斯利·劳斯开了几枪，据称他藏在距离共和党总统候选人300至500码的树木线内。
“我们度过了美好的一天，”维特科夫谈到这一事件时说，在此期间，特勤局特工将特朗普赶到了一个安全的地方。他补充说，在听到第一声枪响后，“我看到特勤局做了他们应该做的事情，那就是站在总统的正上方。”维特科夫说，特朗普身边有“一大堆”特工。
“他们的工作堪称典范，”他说。"我几乎被正在发生的一切迷住了。"
威特科夫说:“接连发生了四起枪击事件，然后特勤局迅速将他带离那里，带他回到俱乐部，因为他是第一优先目标——他是被保护人。”。“他们在第六洞的那个角落里交战，显然……这个潜在的刺客已经在那里建立了一个巢穴。”
他说，特朗普正在“俯视”并“示意”特勤局特工开枪的地方。威特科夫说，当他被匆忙带走时，这位前总统似乎“非常关心”和他一起在球场上的朋友和工作人员。“这就是他所关心的一切。”
58岁的劳斯在等待特朗普将近12个小时，权威人士说。特勤局代理局长罗恩·罗(Ron Rowe Jr .)表示，嫌疑人没有开任何枪，也没有在任何时候瞄准前总统。
当局说，特勤局特工发现劳斯的枪管从第六果岭附近的树线中伸出来。在他们向嫌疑人开枪后，劳斯逃跑了，留下了一台数码相机、两个包(包括一个背包)和一把装有瞄准镜的SKS式7.62x39口径步枪。
劳斯在试图开车离开该地区时被拘留，一名目击者向警方报告了他的车牌号。他周一出庭，目前面临两项持枪重罪指控。
特朗普在X平台(原名Twitter)上的一次在线对话中说，他“和一名代理人在一起，这名代理人做了一件了不起的工作。”这位前总统在周日事件发生后不久就在真相社交平台上发帖说:“我想感谢大家的关心和良好祝愿——这的确是有趣的一天!”
Secret Service agents 'exemplary' during Trump assassination attempt, friend says
Steve Witkoff -- a friend of, and donor to, former PresidentDonald Trump-- told "Good Morning America" on Tuesday that Secret Service agents protecting the Republican presidential nominee during Sunday's apparent assassination attempt did "exactly what they're supposed to do."
Witkoff was with the former president at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, when Secret Service agents fired several shots at would-be gunman Ryan Wesley Routh, who was allegedly concealed in a tree line 300 to 500 yards from the Republican presidential nominee.
"We were having a great day," Witkoff said of the incident, during which Secret Service agents rushed Trump to a safe location. He added that, after hearing the first shot, "I saw the Secret Service do exactly what they're supposed to do, which was get right on top of the president." There were “a whole bunch” of agents on top of Trump, Witkoff said.
"They did that job in an exemplary way," he said. "I was almost mesmerized by everything that was happening."
"In quick succession, there were four shots and then the Secret Service was whisking him out of there, getting him back to the club house, as he's the first priority -- he's the protectee,” Witkoff said. “They were engaging in that corner on the sixth hole where evidently … this would-be assassin had put himself, had created a sort of lair there.”
Trump, he said, was "looking over" and "gesturing" to the area at which the Secret Service agents fired. As he was rushed away, the former president appeared “very concerned" about the friends and staffers with him on the course, Witkoff said. “That’s all he was concerned about.”
Routh, 58, lay in wait for Trump fornearly 12 hours, authorities said. Secret Service Acting Director Ron Rowe Jr. said the suspect did not fire any shots or have a line of sight on the former president at any time.
Secret Service agents spotted Routh’s gun barrel poking out from the tree line near the sixth green, authorities said. After they fired at the suspect, Routh fled leaving behind a digital camera, two bags including a backpack, and a loaded SKS-style 7.62x39 caliber rifle with a scope.
Routh was detained attempting to leave the area in a vehicle, a witness having reported his license plate number to police. He appeared in court on Monday and currently faces two felony gun charges.
Trump said during an online conversation on the platform X -- formerly known as Twitter -- that he "was with an agent and the agent did a fantastic job." The former president posted to the Truth Social platform soon after the incident on Sunday: "I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes - It was certainly an interesting day!"
