Donald Trump assassination attempt: What do we know about the gunman?
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Donald Trump has assured his supporters he is safe and sound after an apparent assassination attempt. But what do we know about the suspected gunman?
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In brief…
- A man has been arrested after pointing a gun at Donald Trump while the presidential hopeful was playing a round of golf in Florida.
- It marks the second time Trump has been the victim of an assassination attempt.
- The 58-year-old suspect is a former Trump supporter, has also donated to the Democrats, and appears to be fanatically pro-Ukraine.
What’s the story?
Someone has allegedly tried to assassinate Donald Trump unsuccessfully. It marks the second time the Republican presidential nominee has had an apparent attempt made on his life, both while on the campaign trail.
Trump was playing golf at the International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, when a member of the Secret Service saw a “rifle barrel sticking out of the fence".
An agent instantly pursued the suspect, who fled the scene.
The gunman Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, left behind an AK47-style firearm and scope, two backpacks and a GoPro camera in the bush he was hiding in.
He got about 45-minutes away from the golf course when police stopped him in the car he escaped in. Routh is being held in custody and is due for sentencing.
Meanwhile, Trump has assured supporters he is “safe and well”.
He issued a statement, which read: "There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumours start spiralling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL".
The FBI, who are investigating the incident, have yet to clarify whether any shots were fired.
What do we know about the gunman?
Routh appears to be a former Donald Trump supporter who has become disillusioned with the Republican nominee.
He wrote on X in July, just days after a different gunman shot at Trump in Pennsylvania: “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.
“Are you retarded; I will be glad when you are gone.”
Voter records show Routh registered as an unaffiliated voter in North Carolina in 2012. In 2016, he voted for Donald Trump.
Most recently, he voted in person for Joe Biden during the state's Democratic Party primary in March 2024.
Campaign finance records show he has made 19 political donations amounting to $140 (£106) since 2019 to ActBlue, an organisation that supports Democratic candidates.
According to reports, Routh has called for foreign fighters to go to Ukraine to battle against Russian forces.He headed to the war-torn nation in 2022 in the hopes of volunteering after Vlaldimir Putin invaded. He was rejected by the Ukrainian international legion in a Polish border town, but later headed to Kyiv “to co-ordinate volunteers”.
Pro-Palestinian, pro-Taiwan and anti-China messages can also be seen on his profile. In some instances, he makes allegations about Chinese “biological warfare” and calls Covid-19 an “attack”.
He has multiple felony offences on his record, including carrying a concealed weapon, resisting arrest by a police officer and driving with a revoked licence. Routh has also been charged for possession of stolen property and hit and run with a motor vehicle.
The News Agents take
Jon says that every time something like this happens, there is a “further loss of innocence about open democracy” as presidential candidates have to become “more and more shut away” to protect them.
The fact they have to be hidden from public view is “really unhealthy for democracy”, Jon stresses. He adds that this also raises questions about how this plays out politically.
Jon says: “I don’t want this to sound crass and say ‘how handy for Trump’, violence should play no role in an election.
“But given everything being said about Trump… this resets it again, for the second time, it becomes about him being a victim.”
Emily argues this also raises security concerns.
She says: “I think the conversation here is about, how did this happen again?” “How could Donald Trump not have been supported second time round?
How is it possible that somebody got 350 to 500 yards away from Trump pointing an AK 47 rifle through the railings of the golf club in west Florida.
“Why does this keep happening? He's vulnerable because it's hard to predict somebody who isn't actually President on a golf course spanning loads and loads of terrain.”
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