By: Greg LaRose – Louisiana Illuminator
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and his wife were at former President Donald Trump’s home in Florida when the Republican presidential nominee was targeted a few miles away in an apparent assassination attempt Sunday afternoon, according to a post from Johnson on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Trump was playing golf at his course near Mar-a-Lago when U.S. Secret Service agents thwarted an assassination attempt, the second against the former president in the past nine weeks. Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was apprehended a short distance away after attempting to flee, according to authorities.
“Kelly and I are departing Mar-a-Lago, where we just spent a few hours with President Trump and are thanking God for protecting him today — once again,” Johnson wrote. “No leader in American history has endured more attacks and remained so strong and resilient. He is unstoppable.”
Johnson’s post included a picture of himself and his wife with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. It wasn’t immediately clear when the photo was taken.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise also shared reaction Sunday to Trump’s apparent near-brush with an assassin. The Republican from Jefferson survived a 2017 mass shooting at a GOP congressional baseball practice at a playground in Virginia.
Scalise has been critical of the Secret Service after Trump was clipped in his ear during a July 13 shooting at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Agents returned fire and killed the shooter, 20-year-old James Matthew Crooks. An internal investigation found glaring weaknesses with the Secret Service protection plan in place for Trump’s rally.
“Secret Service must up their level of protection of him to their FULL capabilities — including expanding the perimeter,” Scalise posted on X.
U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette, sent a vague single-word message to his followers on X following Sunday afternoon’s news from Florida: “Hold.”