By Janjabill Tahsin
Staff Writer
Just two months after former President Donald Trump survived an attempted assassination at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he sustained a bullet wound to his upper right ear, the Republican presidential nominee was almost the target of another attempt at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sep. 15, as reported by the BBC.
According to AP News, a U.S. Secret Service agent was stationed a few holes ahead from where Trump was golfing when the muzzle of an AK-style rifle poked through the Trump International Golf Club’s fence, roughly 400 yards away.
The suspected gunman has been identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58-year-old man who spent most of his life in North Carolina before moving to Hawaii in 2018. Routh dropped the rifle after the Secret Service opened fire and fled in an SUV, leaving behind the firearm, two backpacks, a scope and a GoPro camera.
It was later confirmed that he had not fired any shots and had no line of sight to the former president. Officials have not yet determined a motive, according to CBS News.
A federal court in West Palm Beach charged Routh with two firearm offenses and ordered him to remain in custody until his trial, but the 58-year-old’s criminal history dates back to the 1990s.
Between 2002 and 2010, Routh was charged and convicted of numerous offenses in Guilford County, North Carolina, including possession of a weapon of mass destruction, a hit-and-run offense and resisting arrest, according to the North Carolina Department of Corrections.
The FBI is currently investigating several of Routh’s social media profiles, where he frequently posted about the ongoing war in Ukraine and politics. Despite having no threats in his posts, the state board of elections confirmed that he voted in the 2024 North Carolina Democratic primary and is registered as unaffiliated voter. His X account, now suspended, featured numerous posts about Trump.
In one post on X, Routh wrote “@realDonaldTrump While you were my choice in [2016], I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointed and it seems you are getting worse and devolving. I will be glad when [you’re] gone.”
Routh mentioned the first assassination attempt on Trump in multiple posts, proposing that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris visit the injured and attend the funeral of the Pennsylvania rally-goer who was killed.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press conference Tuesday that he wants a statewide prosecutor to charge Routh with attempted murder under state law, despite the two firearm charges carrying a combined maximum of 20 years in prison, because he said the federal charges are “too shallow,” according to USA Today.
“I think it’s really important for the people of Florida, but also for our country, that we pursue the most serious charges that are on the books to hold this guy accountable,” DeSantis said in West Palm Beach on Tuesday morning. “And to say you’re gonna do a couple [of] gun charges, that is not going to be sufficient to do it.”
The Criminal Resource Manual makes assassination attempts against major presidential candidates a federal offense, which the Justice Department is likely considering, according to several former federal prosecutors. The charge carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Despite being the second attempt on his life, Trump reportedly was in good spirits, not only recounting what happened to multiple friends, family members and advisers but also praising the Secret Service and thanking them for their response.
“I want to thank the U.S. Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his Office of brave and dedicated Patriots, and, all of Law Enforcement, for the incredible job done today at Trump International in keeping me, as the 45th President of the United States, and the Republican Nominee in the upcoming Presidential Election, SAFE,” Trump said on X.
Biden and Harris condemned the second possible assassination attempt against Trump, with Biden also ensuring Trump's safety in a later statement.
“As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country, and I have directed my team to continue to ensure that [the] Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President's continued safety” the president said.
