- Source: Attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Florida
On September 15, 2024, Donald Trump, a former president of the United States and then the nominee of the Republican Party in the 2024 presidential election, survived an assassination attempt while golfing at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. A suspect, later identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, was spotted hiding in nearby shrubbery while aiming a rifle at a member of Trump's security detail. A Secret Service agent fired upon Routh, who fled the scene and was later captured in Martin County. No injuries were reported. Officials say that Routh intended to shoot Trump, and Routh had been indicted on five federal charges by September 24, including attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate. The incident occurred two months after Trump survived a previous assassination attempt while speaking at a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania. Routh has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and a preliminary trial date has been set for February 10, 2025.
Background
The Trump International Golf Club had been noted as a potential target for attempts on Donald Trump's life. The incident occurred 64 days after a previous assassination attempt on Trump at a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, in which Trump was shot and wounded in his upper right ear by a sniper. Law enforcement officials said that the golf course's perimeter was not fully secured as Trump was not an incumbent president. The Secret Service did not search the perimeter of the golf course, as Trump's visit there was not a scheduled event.
Incident
On September 15, 2024, Donald Trump was golfing at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, with his friend and donor Steve Witkoff. Trump was walking along the fifth hole when a Secret Service agent conducted a sweep of the sixth hole ahead of him for any threats. During the sweep, a man was seen aiming a rifle at the agent while hiding in shrubs approximately 400 yards (370 m) away. The position in which the man had been is well-known as a spot frequently used by paparazzi to photograph Trump at his golf course. At 1:31 p.m. EDT (approximately 12 hours after the gunman's 1:59 a.m. arrival), the agent, having seen the rifle barrel move, fired at the man, who dropped his weapon and fled in a vehicle. After the shot was fired, Trump was escorted off the course by his Secret Service protective detail. The man did not have a clear line of sight on Trump and did not fire his gun. A witness took a photo of the suspect's vehicle, assisting authorities in tracking it down. The golf course was locked down shortly after the incident, and no injuries were reported.
After the gunman fled the scene, a "be on the lookout" was issued to law enforcement with details about the suspect's car, a black Nissan SUV. After pulling over the vehicle, Martin County Sheriff's Office deputies forced the driver out of the car and arrested him at gunpoint. According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, the driver was detained as a person of interest while he was driving northbound on Interstate 95 from Palm Beach County. The sheriff's units "waited [for] a while" to stop the vehicle to avoid engaging in a high-speed chase. An SKS-style rifle with a removed serial number, a scope, two backpacks containing ceramic tiles that could deflect a bullet, a plastic bag containing food, and a GoPro camera, were recovered at the scene. The driver was unarmed at the time of his arrest.
Accused
Shortly after the incident, authorities identified the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58-year-old Hawaii resident who lived for most of his life in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Routh had a history of political activity online and offline, with his political engagement dating back to at least 1996. Voting records showed that he did not vote in the 2016 elections, but in a 2020 Twitter post, he claimed to have voted for Trump in 2016 and later regretted it. In a self-published ebook in 2023, he wrote about his supposed previous support for Trump, saying, "I am man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake." He reached out to Iran in his book, saying they should feel free to assassinate Trump for the United States withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as well as Routh himself for supporting Trump in the past. Routh condemned the January 6 Capitol attack as being "perpetrated by Donald Trump and his undemocratic posse".
After his disillusionment with Trump, Routh announced his support for various presidential opponents of Trump, including both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. Additionally, Routh donated $140 to Democratic causes since 2019. He registered in North Carolina as an independent voter in 2012. He voted in North Carolina's Democratic primary elections in 2024.
Routh had multiple prior criminal charges, including a 2002 conviction for "possessing a weapon of mass death and destruction" after barricading himself in a building with a fully automatic weapon. As part of a plea deal, he agreed to undergo a mental health evaluation and accept recommended treatments. He had over one hundred criminal counts filed against him in North Carolina, which included driving violations and possession of stolen items. Routh typically received parole or probation for his offenses, with no record of time that he was in prison.
Pre-trial
After being arrested as the potential suspect, Routh was charged with two offenses: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with the serial number removed. Less than a day after the arrest, he was seen smiling and laughing with his lawyer. Footage of his arrest was also released to the public. Routh was charged on September 24 with attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate, as well as "assaulting a federal officer" and "possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence."
On September 23, 2024, the Department of Justice published a letter written by Routh several months prior to his arrest, stating: Dear World, this was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job. Everyone across the globe from the youngest to the oldest know that Trump is unfit to be anything, much less a U.S president. U.S presidents must at bare minimum embody the moral fabric that is America and be kind, caring and selfless and always stand for humanity. Trump fails to understand any of-
An unnamed witness had contacted law enforcement on September 18, stating that Routh had dropped off a box containing the letter at his house several months before the incident. The witness opened the box after the incident. According to authorities, the letter indicates that Routh may have planned the assassination attempt for months, and simultaneously acknowledged months in advance that he might fail. The Department of Justice's decision to publicize the note would be criticized by former US Attorney General William Barr, as it told people to ‘finish the job’ of killing Trump with a cash award, which could lead to potential future assassination attempts and plots.
The case was assigned to Judge Aileen Cannon, the same Trump-appointed judge who two months earlier had dismissed the federal prosecution of Trump regarding his possession of classified documents.
On September 30, Routh pleaded not guilty to all five counts brought against him in federal court. The next day, Cannon set a preliminary trial date of November 18.
On October 17, Routh's lawyers asked Cannon to recuse herself to avoid the appearance of bias in favor of Trump. However, Cannon refused to step down. As a result, Routh's trial date was moved to February 10, 2025.
On November 4, one day before the 2024 United States presidential election, Routh sent a letter to a local newsroom stating that if Trump wins the election, it will mark "the end of Democracy and the beginning of a Civil War" and that Trump "will not let go of the power given to him." He also begged the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office to "help lead the country the way to Democracy." Prosecutors noted that Routh's handwriting of the letter matched the same handwriting as the alleged note written months prior discussing his failure to assassinate Trump, which confirmed Routh wrote the note.
= Investigation
=The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation of the incident, with the United States Secret Service and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office also participating. The FBI is treating the incident as an attempted assassination.
On the day of the alleged assassination attempt, Routh's motive was described as unknown. Shortly after the incident, law enforcement linked the license plates for the Nissan SUV used by Routh to a 2012 Ford truck that was reported as stolen. The witness who initially spotted the fleeing suspect identified Routh after he was taken into custody. Data from his cell phone showed that he had arrived at the golf course at 1:59 a.m., where he had waited for roughly 12 hours.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis pledged to open a state-level investigation into the shooting.
Reactions
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump's opponent in the 2024 presidential election, were briefed on the incident. The White House released a statement saying: "The president and vice president have been briefed about the security incident at the Trump International Golf Course, where former President Trump was golfing. They are relieved to know that he is safe." In a separate statement, Harris said: "I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America."
Shortly after the shooting, Elon Musk, executive chairman of Twitter, quote-retweeted a post on the site which asked "Why they want [sic] to kill Donald Trump?", responding that "no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala". Although he initially defended his wording, Musk deleted the tweet following widespread condemnation, claiming the next day that his remarks were intended as a joke. The White House issued a statement calling Musk's comment "irresponsible", writing that "violence should only be condemned, never encouraged or joked about". The Secret Service additionally opened an investigation into Musk over his remarks.
See also
Security incidents involving Donald Trump
References
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- Daftar dukungan kampanye presiden Donald Trump 2024
- Invasi Ukraina oleh Rusia
- Attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Florida
- Attempted assassination of Donald Trump (disambiguation)
- Attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania
- Security incidents involving Donald Trump
- Trump International Golf Club (West Palm Beach)
- Donald Trump
- Donald Trump raised-fist photographs
- Ryan Wesley Routh
- Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign
- 2024 United States presidential election in Florida
