The man arrested on suspicion of seeking to assassinate Donald Trump in Florida had no clear line of sight on the former president and did not fire his weapon, the US Secret Service has said.
"He did not fire or get off any shots at our agent," Secret Service acting director Ronald Rowe told reporters.
The acting director said he has since spoken with Mr Trump.
Mr Rowe said that Mr Trump's visit to his golf course in West Palm Beach was not on his public schedule and it was not clear whether the suspect knew Mr Trump would be there.
The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, was earlier charged with two federal gun crimes.
Routh, 58, was charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number at his initial court appearance.
The suspect, who was arrested on Sunday after an alleged abortive bid to shoot the former president, is expected to face further charges at a later arraignment.
Routh appeared calm during the brief court hearing, answering "yes" in a soft voice to several questions from District Judge Ryon McCabe of the Southern District of Florida.
Routh was arrested after a US Secret Service agent noticed the barrel of a rifle pointing out of shrubbery at the Trump International Golf Course.
Agents, who were deployed in a moving security bubble extending about one or two holes ahead of the former president, "engaged" an individual, the US Secret Service's Rafael Barros said.
Phone records suggest the suspect may have been lying in wait for nearly 12 hours on Sunday, according to a criminal complaint filed.
Records show a phone associated with Routh was located at the golf course starting at 1:59am (06:59am Irish time).
Mr Trump was unharmed in the incident.
Police said Routh fled in a vehicle and was arrested shortly after.
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said police recovered a "AK-47-style" rifle equipped with a scope, two backpacks, and a GoPro camera from the scene.
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Routh is reported to be a self-employed affordable housing builder based in Hawaii, with an arrest record spanning decades.
He has at least two prior convictions, both in North Carolina, according to the criminal complaint.
In 2002, he pleaded guilty to possessing a fully automatic gun, commonly known as a machine gun, which is outlawed in the US, and was sentenced to probation.
In that case, he fled from a traffic stop in Greensboro and barricaded himself inside his roofing business before police were able to arrest him, according to court records and a 2002 news article by the Greensboro News and Record.
Trump blames Harris, Biden rhetoric
Mr Trump blamed the rhetoric of his Democrat rival Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden for what appeared to be a second bid on his life.
"He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it," Mr Trump told Fox News Digital of the man arrested after allegedly hiding with an assault-style rifle at the edge of a golf course.
"Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at."
Taking to social media, Mr Trump thanked Secret Service and police for keeping him safe.
"I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes - It was certainly an interesting day!," Mr Trump said later.
Both Mr Biden and Ms Harris decried the incident.
The White House said that Mr Biden and Mr Trump "shared a cordial conversation".
In a statement, the White House said: "President Biden just spoke with former President Trump, and conveyed his relief that he is safe.
"Former President Trump expressed his thanks for the call."
Mr Trump, in a statement to CNN, called it a "very nice call".
Speaking to reporters, President Biden said the Secret Service "needs more help".
Mr Biden said he did not yet have a full report of the incident but he was thankful the former president was ok.
"One thing I want to make clear, the (secret) service needs more help, and I think the Congress should respond to their needs," he said. "I think we may need more personnel."
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Ukraine denies connection to suspect
Routh is a staunch supporter of Ukraine and travelled there after Russia's 2022 invasion, seeking to recruit foreign fighters.
Ukrainian officials distanced themselves from Routh.
The International Legion, where many foreign fighters in Ukraine serve, said it had no links with Routh.
Profiles on X, Facebook and LinkedIn with Routh's name contained messages of support for Ukraine as well as statements describing Mr Trump as a threat to US democracy.
Authorities are examining Routh's online presence, including social media, Mr Rowe said.
Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, posted and then deleted a message on the social media site wondering why no one had tried to assassinate Mr Biden or Ms Harris.
In a follow-up post, Mr Musk, who has endorsed Mr Trump, said he had been joking.
Secret Service agents engaged gunman
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At press briefing in the aftermath of the incident, Sheriff Bradshaw said a Secret Service agent protecting Mr Trump saw a rifle barrel poking out from bushes about 365 to 460 metres away from the former president as they cleared holes of potential threats ahead of his play.
Agents engaged the gunman, firing at least four rounds of ammunition around 1.30pm local time (6.30pm Irish time) on Sunday.
The gunman then dropped his rifle, and left behind two backpacks and other items, and fled in a black Nissan car.
The sheriff said a witness saw the gunman and managed to take photos of his car and license plate before he escaped.
Sheriff’s deputies in neighbouring Martin County apprehended the suspect on I-95 about 65km from the golf course.
The White House said in a statement following the incident that Mr Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had been briefed about the incident and were relieved to know he was safe.
Mr Trump is locked in a tight presidential election race with Ms Harris, who has had a surge in the polls since replacing Mr Biden as the Democratic Party's candidate in July.
