Ryan Wesley Routh[a][4] (born February 18, 1966) is an American man who allegedly attempted to assassinate the 45th and 47th U.S. president Donald Trump. Routh's motives are currently under investigation.
On September 15, 2024, a Secret Service agent shot at least four rounds at Routh, who was hiding with an SKS-style rifle[5] in shrubbery at Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach. He was allegedly pointing his weapon through the fence line of the golf course, 300–500 yards (250–450 meters) away from Trump, who 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.[6][7] An update given by the FBI on September 16 mentioned that Routh had not fired his weapon.[6][8][9]
Routh has pleaded not guilty to five federal charges, including attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate. His trial is scheduled to begin on September 8, 2025.[10] Routh could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.[11]
On April 2, 1991, Routh fought and chased a suspected rapist, who was also wanted for a string of burglaries, assaults, and robberies in both Greensboro and out-of-state in New York, around an office building. Terrance Bryant (born October 28, 1962), then 28 of Greensboro, was taken into custody later that evening and was sentenced the following year to life in prison in May 1992.[22] For confronting the suspect, Routh was honored as a "super citizen" and awarded a "Law Enforcement Oscar" a few months after the chase by the Greensboro chapter of the International Union of Police Associations.[23]
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 roofing business, where he barricaded himself inside.[20][24][25] In 2003, he was sentenced for driving without a license, carrying a concealed weapon and hit-and-run. On February 10, 2010, he was convicted of possessing stolen goods. For each of these charges he was given probation.[26]
Prior to his alleged attempt to assassinate Trump, Routh had over a hundred criminal charges filed against him throughout his life.[27]
In 2018, he moved to Kaʻaʻawa, Hawaii. There he started a shed-building business with his son, Adam Routh.[20] He and his son, Oran Alexander Routh, had a falling out and had not talked prior to the assassination attempt, although following the attempt he said that Routh was "a loving and caring father, and honest, hardworking man" and that "it doesn't sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent."[28] Routh's daughter, Sara Ellen Routh, refused to make a public statement regarding her father's criminal record and his alleged attempt to assassinate Trump.[29]
Kim Mungo, a local neighbor who knew Routh for 18 years before he moved to Hawaii, claimed she saw him and his family as "weird", and claimed that the number of guns he owned made the neighborhood feel uncomfortable around him. Mungo stated that she drove Routh's daughter, Sara, to school occasionally. She said Routh's family never expressed any strong political views.[30]
Claimed activities related to the Russo-Ukrainian War
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 efforts to recruit foreign soldiers for Ukraine in its war against Russia.[24][31][32]Newsweek reported Routh had claimed to have fought in Ukraine,[24] while he told The New York Times he did not fight in Ukraine.[33] 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.[34] 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".[21][35] Routh was filmed at an April 2022 protest in Independence Square in Kyiv.[36]
A former volunteer for Ukraine's International Legion, Evelyn Aschenbrenner, branded 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][38][39]
Chelsea Walsh, a travel nurse who had met Routh in Ukraine, viewed Routh as "a threat to others" and a "ticking time bomb", and warned a Homeland Security agent upon her return from Ukraine. She claimed that Routh decided to dedicate his life to protecting Ukraine upon first hearing about the war in 2022, and that he would become "vengeful" and "angry" if he did not get his way. Sometime in 2023, Walsh ultimately reported Routh to the FBI for his behavior.[40] Routh had also claimed to her to have organized a protest outside President Volodymyr Zelensky's home and was jailed for it, although this was not confirmed.[41] Walsh repeated her concerns to both the FBI and Interpol.[42]
On September 12, merely three days before the assassination attempt, Routh exchanged messages with British-trained commandos from Afghanistan about recruitment to the Russo-Ukrainian War over the instant messaging app WhatsApp. Routh's WhatsApp account consisted of several discussions with special forces from Afghanistan about how to get to Ukraine to fight in the war. All of the chat logs on Routh's WhatsApp account were investigated by The Independent and investigative newsroom Lighthouse Reports in November 2024.[43]
At 1:59 a.m on September 15, 2024, Routh allegedly took a position at Trump's golf course. He was later spotted by an agent at 1:31p.m.[44] The agent fired at Routh, who dropped his weapon and fled in a nearby vehicle.[45] After the shot was fired, Trump was escorted off the course by his Secret Service protective detail.[46] At 2:22 p.m, Routh was arrested on Interstate 95 in Martin County as the potential suspect and later charged with two offenses: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with the serial number removed.[47] On the day of his arraignment, he was seen smiling and laughing with his lawyer.[48] Footage of his arrest was also released to the public.[49] Routh was charged on September 24 with attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, as well as "assaulting a federal officer" and "possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence."[50] On December 18, Routh was additionally charged with "attempted felony murder" after it was discovered that Routh caused traffic closure while fleeing the scene, which resulted in a traffic crash that injured a 6-year-old girl who was traveling with her family.[51]
Arrest of son
As part of investigations following the assassination attempt, authorities searched the Greensboro home of Ryan Routh's son, 35-year-old Oran Alexander Routh, who had previously defended his father in an interview.[28] They reportedly discovered hundreds of child pornography files on Oran Routh's electronic devices, and charged him with two counts of possessing and receiving child sexual abuse material.[16] The case was assigned to Judge William Osteen.[52] He initially pled not guilty and was later released to his mother's custody. His trial was scheduled to take place in December 2024,[53] but was delayed till February 12, 2025.[52] Additional charges were later filed against him: another count of receiving child pornography, transporting child pornography, and possessing child pornography involving a minor who had not yet reached 12 years of age.[54] Upon being questioned by the court, Oran reportedly gave long-winded answers that didn’t directly address the questions given to him. He pled guilty of one count of possessing child pornography involving a minor who had not yet reached 12 years of age. As part of Oran’s guilty plea, the rest of the charges were dismissed. Upon this, Oran had an outburst in the court, claiming his arrest on the charges were motivated by "political persecution."[52] The sentencing hearing for Oran is scheduled for May 14 at 10:30 a.m.[55]
Pre-trial
Routh discussing his failed attempt to assassinate Trump in a note several months before
Transcript
"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 US president. US 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—"
On September 23, the Department of Justice publicized a note written by Routh several months prior to his arrest in which he described an "assassination attempt" and offered a bounty for the killing of Donald Trump. In the letter, Routh reportedly stated, "This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you," and went on to offer "$150,000 to whomever can complete the job."[57] Authorities believe that this letter may have been an indication of Routh's foreshadowing of his later actions as well as his acknowledgment of failure in carrying out the alleged plot.[58]
On the same day, FBI agents found documents that contained a handwritten list of venues where Trump had appeared or was expected to be present, dated in August through October. They also found out that two of the cell phones found in the Nissan Xterra that Routh drove the day of the assassination attempt showed that on multiple days and times from August 18 to September 15, Routh stalked Trump near his golf course and his Mar-a-Lago residence.[59]
Routh pled not guilty on September 30.[60] A preliminary trial date was set by Judge Aileen Cannon on November 18.[61]
On October 17, Routh's lawyers asked Cannon to recuse herself to avoid the appearance of bias in favor of Trump, due to Cannon dismissing the federal prosecution of Trump regarding his possession of classified documents two months prior.[62] However, Cannon refused to step down.[63] 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.[11] Upon hearing that Trump won the presidential election, he urged the country "to remove the power of our military by the President and place it with Congress before January," and would proceed to call Trump a "dictator."[64]
On November 26, Routh addressed a note to the newsroom Politico. In the note, he would criticize both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, claiming that they conspire against independent candidates.[64] Routh would also compare himself to Thomas Matthew Crooks, the perpetrator of Trump's previous assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, claiming they were both “ready to die for freedom and democracy." At multiple points, he contemplated the prospect of another civil war. Prior to sending the note, Routh told a prison guard who believed Routh was a Democrat that the Independent politicians are the better candidates. He did not explicitly confess to attempting to assassinate Trump, referring to himself as the "Trump Alleged Shooter".[65]
After appearing in federal court for a hearing on December 11, Routh's legal team announced they were considering giving Routh an insanity defense. Public defenders claimed Routh had met with mental health experts and jail mental health professionals at least twice, who all called him "delusional." Prosecutors also confirmed that Routh had written up to 40 letters to national news outlets to try to convince them he was innocent. The letters were intercepted before being received. Routh’s attorneys requested for the trial to be delayed until December 2025.[66] Cannon granted the request in part, setting a new trial date of September 8, 2025.[10][67]
On February 20, 2025, Routh's defense team inspected the Trump golf course during a visit arranged by the US Justice Department. After this visit they inspected evidence from the case such as the rifle, which the Justice Department had transported to an FBI field office in Florida.[68]
Following a court filing on March 3, defense attorney Kristy Militello requested for the rifle to be tested. Upon being questioned by Judge Cannon, Militello responded with; "The rifle is old, and we want our expert to determine if it's operable, if it's accurate, and what kind of distance it can reach." Investigators did not conduct any testing of the rifle the day of the assassination attempt because no shots were fired at the scene. Judge Cannon then promised a ruling on testing the weapon.[69]
Political views
According to posts on his Twitter account in 2020, Routh political views have evolved over the years. Routh said he made Donald Trump his "choice" in 2016, but by 2020, he voiced his dissatisfaction, stating, "I will be glad when you are gone."[70][71] Voting records showed that Routh requested an absentee ballot in 2016, but did not actually vote.[72] 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[sic] of Humanity)[47] in 2023, he wrote about his stated 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 judgement".[18] The passage in question was specifically addressed to the Iranian government.[73] His son stated that Routh hated Trump like "every reasonable person does."[28]
Routh also supported Bernie Sanders in 2020, criticizing Joe Biden as "Sleepy Joe". In 2024, he expressed concern over democracy in a post tagging Biden, and telling him his campaign slogan should be "Keep America Democratic and Free".[74] In 2020, he also supported Tulsi Gabbard, calling for an executive order on police misconduct[75] 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.[21] By early 2024, he suggested a Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy ticket for the Republican primary.[76] In 2024, he voted in the Democratic primary in Guilford County, North Carolina.[26] Routh had additionally donated $140 to Democratic causes since 2019. He registered in North Carolina as an independent voter in 2012.[18][20]
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.[47] In 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."[77][78] Routh donated through ActBlue 20 times. He has donated $140 exclusively to Democrats and to Tulsi Gabbard (at the time a Democrat, but later aligned with Trump) since 2019.[79][bettersourceneeded]
↑ Schlosser, Jim (July 16, 2004). "Skateboard park closed". News and Record. p.5. Archived from the original on September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
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