Donald Trump urged by Secret Service not to play golf before US election for concerning reason

It’s one of Donald Trump’s favourite ways to unwind after his rambling rally speeches, but the Republican presidential candidate has reportedly been told to hit pause on playing golf until after November’s election.

According to The New York Times, Trump had two conversations with intelligence officials in September – one being with Secret Service boss Ronald Rowe – in which he was informed agents could not comfortably guarantee his safety if he continued to venture out onto the green.

The discussions followed a second attempt on the ex-president’s life on 15 September, when Secret Service agents allegedly spotted Ryan Wesley Routh poking the barrel of an SKS assault rifle through a fence outside Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course in Florida.

Routh has been charged with attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate – a charge which carries a potential life sentence – to which he has pled not guilty.

Just two months prior, Trump had been left injured after 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire while the Republican was speaking in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Crooks was shot dead by Secret Service agents, while a spectator was killed and two were critically injured.

Hours after the assassination attempt, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he was “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear”.

He was photographed with a bloodied face as he was swarmed by protection officers, raising his fist in the air and encouraging his supporters to “fight”.

Trump returned to the location of the first assassination attempt earlier this month, with a new rally that saw Twitter/X owner Elon Musk deliver a bizarre speech, and a QAnon conspiracy theorist talking to the crowd about drinking raw milk.

Speaking to NBC News about the “comprehensive changes and enhancements” to its operations following the 13 July assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said: “Today, the former president is receiving heightened protection and we take the responsibility to ensure his safety and security very seriously.”

NBC also notes that a break from golfing from 15 September until the 5 November vote will be the longest period of time Trump has gone without playing the sport since the coronavirus pandemic.

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