Golf partner praises Trump’s ‘stoic’ and ‘courageous’ demeanor following 2nd assassination attempt

Former President Donald Trump endured another attempt on his life Sunday and his golfing partner recounted the harrowing experience while lauding him as a “real leader.”

New York real estate investor Steve Witkoff revealed he was just five yards from Trump when the first shots rang out at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Speaking with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday, Witkoff praised the Secret Service details protecting the former president while recounting how Trump’s “normal life” was “punctuated” by attempts to kill him.

“Yesterday was quite a day. I actually feel blessed that I was there yesterday. And the reason I feel blessed Sean, is that I got to see what it’s like for my dear friend to live his normal life. His normal life, which is punctuated by two attempts to assassinate him in the last 60 days, being vilified since he left the presidency, falsely accused [and] harassed,” Witkoff said.

(Video Credit: Fox News)

“Here he was yesterday on a beautiful day, just trying to get some rest and relaxation like all the rest of us, and there’s a man with an…assault rifle who’s attempting to kill him. It was terrible,” he added.

“But I got to see… I got to see a man who was stoic, courageous, cared about his friends’ safety first before his own life. He was an inspiration to everybody who was around him yesterday. I wish the whole country could have witnessed what happened yesterday because they would have seen a real leader,” he said.

Witkoff, a gun owner himself, said he “immediately” knew that shots had been fired, later revealed to have come from Trump’s security and not the suspect, Ryan Routh, who had not gotten to fire off any rounds before Secret Service spotted the barrel of his gun pointed out of the tree line on the golf course.

“The Secret Service were exceptional. They had the president secured, in my estimation, because I was five yards away from him, in my estimation, maybe after the first shot, certainly after the second shot. So, by the time the fourth shot rang out, the president was on his way with that detail,” Witkoff told Hannity.

“It was as if they had practiced it 500 times before. It was pretty awesome to watch them. And they were heroic because their lives were on the line,” he added.

Witkoff noted that there were many others on the golf outing and that “serious damage” could have ensued had the suspect not been outed. He expressed to Hannity that he was very thankful there were no injuries.

“I have, like, a little love thing for my dear friend. And I say to myself, thank God that he was not injured or killed, and thank God none of the other people,” he said.

“There were plenty of civilians, by the way, staffers from his office, people who care about him just as much as I do, two other friends of his, so there could have been a lot of really serious damage out there, and there wasn’t,” Witkoff explained. “And I’m grateful to that agent who interdicted and that entire team.”

Speaking with “Good Morning America” on Tuesday, Witkoff again praised the Secret Service for doing “exactly what they’re supposed to do.”

“They did that job in an exemplary way,” he said. “I was almost mesmerized by everything that was happening.”

He recalled that Trump appeared “very concerned” about those with him on the course as the Secret Service whisked him away to safety.

“That’s all he was concerned about.”

Frieda Powers

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