By New York Post (Politics) | Created at 2024-11-25 21:01:20 | Updated at 2024-11-25 23:50:03
2 hours ago
President-elect Donald Trump has been hitting the golf course regularly since his big 2024 win — proudly riding around in a golf cart and greeting club members and their families just months after an assassin attempted to take his life on the same West Palm Beach, Fla., course.
The 45th president had taken a break from golfing in the final stretch of his campaign as he was traveling — and after would-be assassin Ryan Wesley Routh nearly fired on him during a Sept. 15 round at the Trump International Golf Club.
But following his blowout victory against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump has hit the course in regular fashion, with one source saying he likes to go out “every lunchtime.”
supporters. Michael Solakiewicz/ TikTok
take a picture. Michael Solakiewicz/ TikTok
Trump, wearing a MAGA hat and a red quarter-zip sweater, was spotted taking pictures and inviting a member’s kid to sit in his golf cart over the weekend.
“Oh, I love that girl. I love that hair. I want her hair. Can I buy your hair? I’ll pay you millions for it,” Trump said, before stopping and inviting her onto the cart.
He was also seen golfing with his granddaughter Kai, who has said she’s out to beat his “club championship” record.
Routh, who was federally charged and is currently awaiting trial for his attempted killing of Trump, exploited a security hole at the Florida golf course that photographers had known about for years and had used to snap pictures of him.
A Secret Service agent was able to spot Routh’s barrel coming out of the tree line and shot first.
The 58-year-old alleged gunman fled the scene but was later apprehended.
Trump told reporters in September he would “look at” the security situation at his golf course and go from there.
“You don’t want to ever be curtailed because of the crazy people out there,” Trump said while visiting a bitcoin bar in New York. “We’d let the Secret Service determine it.”
Secret Service noticeably beefed up Trump’s security detail at events after the attempted assassination at the golf course and the July 13 Bulter, Pa., rally, where 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks shot Trump in the right ear, nearly ending the life of the 2024 frontrunner at the height of his campaign.
Security measures at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence also significantly increased since the two assassination attempts.
The northern entrance to the incoming commander-in-chief’s private club has been completely closed off to members — despite having coughed up the initiation fee, now sitting at a whopping $1 million — have to detour through West Palm Beach and over Southern Boulevard.
Mar-a-Lago.
Secret Service officers routinely sweep the resort and its outskirts if Trump is on site, with members subjected to airline-style security checks from Department of Homeland Security staff when they enter the premises.
At Mar-a-Lago, the 45th president has been in engaged in selecting his cabinet picks and building out his administration with other political appointees. When he’s not in meetings, he’s been seen eating lunch with his top confidant Elon Musk and other key advisers.
This weekend, Trump was spotted dining with his wife Melania and her father Victor Knavs and his 18-year-old son Barron Trump, who apparently is on break from studying at New York University.
Secret Service and Trump’s team did not immediately respond to inquiries from The Post.
