what do we know so far?

Less than 50 days before the U.S. presidential election in November, a likely second assassination attempt on Donald Trump has injected new uncertainty into the race for the White House and raised serious questions about the threat posed to the former Republican president and his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Here’s what we know so far – and what Sunday’s security incident in West Palm Beach, Florida, could mean for both candidates.

What did the investigation reveal?

The FBI said Sunday it was “apparently” investigating an assassination attempt on Trump after a Secret Service agent discovered a rifle in a fence at the Trump International Golf Club on Sunday afternoon.

Police officers found an AK-47 rifle with a scope, two backpacks and a GoPro camera in the foliage surrounding the golf course and later arrested a suspect, whom US media identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh of Hawaii.

Trump was unharmed in the incident, but the former president’s security is now under fire, just two months after an assassin narrowly missed him at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The FBI is leading the federal investigation into the recent incidents, but Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis has said the state will also conduct its own investigation.

Routh made his initial appearance in District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Monday morning and was charged by federal prosecutors with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession and receipt of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

If found guilty, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000.

Did the Secret Service fail to protect Trump?

The U.S. Secret Service, the federal law enforcement agency responsible for protecting current and former presidents and other high-ranking political leaders, came under intense scrutiny earlier this year after the gunman’s bullet in Butler narrowly missed Trump’s skull.

CIA Director Kimberly Cheatle eventually resigned and took responsibility for the CIA’s failure to prevent the attack – the first assassination attempt on a sitting or former U.S. president in decades.

Now the Secret Service must once again face difficult questions about how a potential shooter could have gotten so close to the former president. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters on Sunday that the suspect was probably between 300 and 500 yards, or about 275 to 450 meters, away from Trump.

US President Joe Biden told reporters at the White House on Monday morning that the “service needs more help.” “I think Congress should respond to their needs,” he added, suggesting that lawmakers should provide more funding to help the security services increase their resources.

In a post on his Truth Social platform late Sunday, Trump praised the Secret Service, saying, “The job they did was absolutely outstanding.”

Who is to blame for the incident?

Law enforcement has not speculated on the suspect’s motives. However, in an interview with Fox News Digital on Monday morning, Trump was quick to blame his political opponents, saying Biden and Harris’ “rhetoric” was fueling violence against him.

“He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris and acted on it,” Trump said of the shooter on Sunday. “Their rhetoric is getting me shot when I’m the one who’s going to save the country and they’re the ones destroying the country – both from within and without.”

“They use highly inflammatory language,” he added, referring to Democratic politicians. “I can use it too – and much better than they can – but I don’t.”

Personal attacks on his political rivals, entire ethnic groups and even influential individuals like musician Taylor Swift who publicly criticize him are nothing new for Trump. He also played a role in inciting the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and many Democrats and even some Republicans accuse him of fostering a toxic political climate in the United States.

Sunday was not the first time Trump blamed Democrats for death threats. In the presidential debate with Harris last week, Trump said, “I probably got a bullet in the head because of the things they say about me.”

But there was no clear motive in the case of the shooter in Pennsylvania either. He was killed on the spot by police, but was a registered Republican at the time and had searched the Internet for pictures and public appearances of Trump, Biden and other public figures in the run-up to the shooting.

Is Trump still in danger?

Law enforcement officials assured people on Sunday that there was no immediate threat to the former president or the public. But Trump remains a target of both domestic and foreign actors.

Before the shooting in Butler, the Secret Service had increased security measures around the former president after US authorities received information about a specific threat from Iran.

Trump and former officials in his administration, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former national security adviser John Bolton, have faced increased threats from Iran since the killing of former Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Qasem Soleimani in January 2020.

There is no evidence that the West Palm Beach incident had anything to do with Iran or any foreign actor, but it will heighten concerns about the risks Trump and Harris face in the final stages of the campaign.

What does this mean for the race for the White House?

Sunday’s incident gave Trump an immediate opportunity to refocus his campaign’s message after a difficult period in which he struggled to refocus his campaign following Biden’s exit from the race.

The Republican nominee has been largely on the defensive since his poor showing against Harris in their only televised debate last Tuesday in Pennsylvania. His allies also fear he is veering off course by spreading conspiracy theories about immigrants and associating with far-right influencers.

After the apparent assassination plot, Republicans rushed to his aid and portrayed Trump as a political hero who was willing to sacrifice his own safety for a greater cause. Shortly after the event, his campaign team also launched a new fundraising campaign.

There are no signs that the election campaign will be disrupted as a result of the incident, although Democrats may have to scale back their attacks on Trump for a while.

In a statement late Sunday, Harris said she was “deeply troubled” by the previous day’s events and said, “We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to further violence.” She will continue her planned trip to Pennsylvania on Tuesday, when Trump is expected in Michigan.

After it was revealed that Routh, the suspected shooter, had been actively trying to recruit foreign fighters for Ukraine in recent years, the incident could reignite the political debate about war with Russia. But for now, both campaign teams are merely adjusting to the latest twist in an already dramatic race for the White House.