Martin County, Florida, sheriff’s deputies met with former President Donald Trump on Tuesday and signed and gave him the handcuffs used in the arrest of Ryan Wesley Routh, the man accused in Sunday’s assassination attempt against the former president.
The officers joined Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort along with Sheriff William Snyder and Chief Deputy John Budensiek.
Trump shook hands with Snyder and the deputies, saying, “I’m still here.”
Authorities arrested Routh on Sunday after Secret Service agents spotted a rifle poking through a fence at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course while the former president was playing golf.
The FBI said they believe Routh had been in the area for nearly 12 hours.
According to investigators, Routh is a convicted felon with ties to Hawaii and North Carolina, who often criticized Trump in social media posts. Routh was a vocal supporter of Ukraine in its war with Russia and even visited the country at one point.
Routh is being held on a pair of federal gun charges, but Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis said attempted murder may be on the table.
The state of Florida has launched its own investigation into the matter.
Sunday’s attempted assassination against the Republican nominee for president is the second in two months.
In July, a gunman opened fire at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, killing one rallygoer and injuring two others. The former president escaped with an ear injury from a bullet.
The two assassination attempts have raised questions about the competency of the Secret Service.
Kate McManus ✉
Kate McManus is a New Jersey-based Newsmax writer who's spent more than two decades as a journalist.
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