Trump Targeted by Second Assassination Attempt in Two Months
For the second time in two months, Donald Trump was the target of “what appears to be an attempted assassination” on Sunday, according to the FBI.
In July, a would-be assassin shot at Trump with an AR-15 during a campaign rally in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, apparently grazing his ear, before the Secret Service killed the shooter.
On Sunday afternoon, as Trump was golfing at his West Palm Beach golf club, a Secret Service agent spotted an AK-47 style rifle sticking through the fence, between 300 and 500 yards away from the former president, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a press conference.
The Secret Service agent fired at the man, who fled in a car — leaving behind a rifle and a scope, backpacks with ceramic tile in them, and a GoPro camera, according to the sheriff.
The suspect was apprehended in Martin County and later identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii. On Monday, Routh was charged with two federal gun crimes: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. The criminal complaint notes that cell phone location data indicates Routh was waited near the golf course for nearly 12 hours.
Prosecutors are seeking a grand jury indictment and expect to bring additional charges against Routh.
Routh has reportedly been previously arrested eight times, mostly for minor issues, according to CNN. He had been a construction worker in North Carolina. The New York Times noted that it interviewed Routh last year, and he said he had volunteered to recruit soldiers to fight in Ukraine after Russia’s invasion. “I’m just a U.S. citizen that’s helping out,” he told the paper. Rolling Stone reported Monday on Routh’s time overseas.
The FBI is still working to determine a motive for what it is calling an apparent assassination attempt.
Having been here before recently, Trump’s campaign wasted little time before seeking to raise money off the foiled attack. “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!” Trump wrote in an email to supporters with a fundraising link.
Trump’s campaign separately texted supporters: “FROM TRUMP: I AM SAFE AND WELL! Nobody was hurt. Thank God.”
“I’m thankful to have your support,” his campaign added, with a link to his campaign website.
In another text message Sunday evening, the campaign wrote, “From Trump: MY RESOLVE IS STRONGER AFTER ANOTHER ATTEMPT ON MY LIFE! Thank you for your support. UNITY. PEACE. MAGA!”
The message included a special fundraising page set up to raise money off the apparent assassination attempt. The website features a ticker listing incoming donations, and a message noting that while Trump is fine, “there are people in this world who will do whatever it takes to stop us.”
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