Ryan Routh

Ryan Wesley Routh (born February 18, 1966) is an American man who allegedly attempted to assassinate former U.S. president Donald Trump, the Republican Party nominee for the 2024 presidential election, on September 15, 2024. Routh's motives are currently under investigation. The update given by the FBI on September 16 mentioned that Routh had not fired his weapon.[2][3][4]

On September 15, 2024, Secret Service agents shot at least four rounds at Routh, who was hiding with an SKS-style rifle[5] in shrubbery at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was allegedly pointing his weapon through the fence line of the golf course, 300–500 yards away from the former president, as he was moving between holes five and six alongside Republican megadonor and real estate investor Steve Witkoff. Routh fled the scene, but was later arrested as the prime suspect.[4][6]

Routh was born in 1966 in Guilford County, North Carolina.[1] He later attended North Carolina A&T State University for two semesters in 1995.[7]

In 1991, Routh fought and chased a suspected rapist. In August 1991, he was honored as a "super citizen" by the Greensboro chapter of the International Union of Police Associations.[8]

In 2004, Routh campaigned against the closing of a skateboard park built by his son and his teenage friends.[9] He told News & Record, "Let's make this a joint public-private venture instead of trying to squish these kids like a bug or telling them to go home and play video games."[10]

In 2018, Routh moved from Greensboro, North Carolina, to Kaʻaʻawa, Hawaii.[11]

Criminal conduct

On December 15-16, 2002, Routh was convicted of possessing a firearm; resisting, delaying and obstructing a law enforcement officer and driving with license revoked after a three-hour stand off with police. He was pulled over while driving, and during the traffic stop he put his hand on a gun and then drove to a nearby business, where he barricaded himself inside.[12][13][14]

In 2003, he was sentenced for driving without a license, carrying a concealed weapon and hit-and-run. In 2010 he was convicted of possessing stolen goods. For each of these charges he was given probation.[15]

Attempted assassination of Donald Trump

At 2:00 AM on September 15, 2024, Routh allegedly took a position at Trump's golf course. He was later spotted at 1:31 PM.[16] Afterwards, Routh was arrested as the potential suspect for the attempted assassination of former U.S. President Donald Trump. He was later charged with two offenses: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with the serial number removed.[17] Additional charges may be brought, pending the full investigation.[18] On the day of his arraignment, he was seen smiling and laughing with his lawyer.[19] Footage of his arrest was also released to the public.[20]

Political activities

According to posts on his Twitter account in 2020, Routh has expressed shifting political views over the years. In 2016, he supported Donald Trump, but by 2020, he voiced his dissatisfaction, stating, "I will be glad when you are gone."[21] In a self-published e-book ("Ukraine’s Unwinnable War: The Fatal Flaw of Democracy, World Abandonment and the Global Citizen-Taiwan, Afghanistan, North Korea and the end of Humanity")[17] in 2023, he wrote about his previous support for Trump by stating, "I am man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake". He further went on to write "you are free to assassinate Trump as well as me for that error in judgment".[22] The passage in question was specifically addressed to the Iranian government.[23]

Routh also supported Bernie Sanders in 2020, criticizing Joe Biden as "sleepy Joe"​. His political stance evolved further in 2024, where he expressed concern over democracy in a post tagging Biden, and telling him his campaign​ slogan should be "Keep America Democratic and Free."[24] In 2020, he also supported Tulsi Gabbard, calling for an executive order on police misconduct​[25] and he made several small donations to the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, contributing 19 times in 2019 and 2020 with amounts ranging from $1 to $25, as recorded by the Federal Election Commission.[26] By early 2024, he suggested a Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy ticket for the Republican primary.[27] Despite being a convicted felon, in 2024 he voted in the Democratic primary in Guilford County, North Carolina.[15] Routh had additionally donated $140 to Democratic causes since 2019 and is registered in North Carolina as an independent voter.[22][28]

Routh claimed on his social media accounts, as well as in 2022 interviews with The New York Times, Newsweek Romania, and Der Tagesspiegel to have made supposed efforts to recruit foreign soldiers for Ukraine in its war against Russia. He also claimed to have fought in Ukraine.[13][29][30][31] Routh said in a 2022 interview with a Romanian reporter in Kyiv that he flew to Ukraine to join the army in the months after Russia's full-scale invasion but learned that he was "not an ideal candidate" for the battlefield because he was in his mid-50s with no military experience. Later in 2022, Routh said in an interview that after he was rejected for military service, he began recruiting volunteer soldiers for the Ukrainian military.[32] Routh complained of roadblocks to Ukraine admitting foreign fighters, telling the publication Semafor that "Ukraine is very often hard to work with, they're afraid that anybody and everybody is a Russian spy".[33] Routh was filmed at an April 2022 protest in Independence Square in Kyiv.[34]

Routh has stated his support for Taiwan, and in his self-published text discussed its political status and called for international intervention to protect the island from China.[17]

According to various posts on his Twitter account in 2023, Routh tagged the Haitian National Police and asserted that he had thousands of NATO-trained Afghan soldiers who "wish to serve for the Haiti national police at cheap wages."[35][36] He also claimed to have 1,000 soldiers with passports ready to fly.[35][36] A former volunteer for Ukraine's International Legion, Evelyn Aschenbrenner, branded Ryan Wesley Routh as "delusional" and a "liar" over his claims that he recruited for the Ukrainian organization, saying Routh was "not, and never has been, associated with the International Legion or the Ukrainian Armed Forces at all". Aschenbrenner said of Routh "He was combative. He was argumentative. He refused repeatedly to understand basic army policy", further adding "There was delusions of grandeur and [he was] very disconnected from reality". The International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine said in a statement that Routh had "never been part of, associated with, or linked" to it "in any capacity."[37]

Other posts on social media accounts indicate he believed in COVID-19 conspiracy theories.[38]

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Wesley_Routh