By Mary Kate Krueger
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Former President Donald J. Trump was the target of an apparent assassination attempt while golfing in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, Sept. 15.
Trump was reportedly golfing at Trump International Golf Club around 2 p.m. when Secret Service agent Ronald L. Rowe Jr. saw a rifle head in a bush about 400-500 feet away from him.
Authorities have identified 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, a former North Carolina resident now residing in Hawaii, as the alleged suspect.
Documents said Routh was camped outside the golf course for around 12 hours. He was taken into custody after Secret Service Agents fired shots at him, and he attempted to flee.
Body camera footage shows Routh being handcuffed on the side of the highway and taken into custody.
Routh has a lengthy criminal record history of over 100 counts beginning in 1997. These criminal counts include possession of a weapon of mass destruction, a hit and run, and possession of stolen property.
Dave Arnborg, state attorney for West Palm Beach, told MSNBC the U.S. federal government is taking over the prosecution, with the U.S. justice department to file charges.
This is the second assassination attempt against Trump in the past nine weeks — the first being on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he dodged a bullet while giving a speech at a rally.
As Routh currently resides full-time in Hawaii, authorities are still investigating Routh’s time in Florida before the incident.
Authorities are discussing possible motivations for Routh’s assassination attempt.
Authorities are pointing to Routh’s strong political stances that could have been the motivation for an assassination attempt against Trump.
According to NPR, Routh was a former supporter of Trump. Following Trump’s policies on the Russian-Ukraine war, Routh stopped supporting former President Trump — engaging in intense political discourse and avid protesting.
North Carolina voting records show that he voted Democratic in March 2024. Federal Elections Commission records show he donated 20 times to the Democratic voting platform called ActBlue.
Routh also had strong political stances relating to the Russian-Ukraine war. He wrote a 291-page book where he quotes that he regrets voting for Trump.
“I am man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake,” said Routh
University of Tampa political science professor Anthony LaRose said, “The U.S. Secret Service might be the worst protective service in the world right now,” and mentioned that “it’s shocking that someone would be able to get within 400 feet of the former president easily.”
“It’s amazing now, seeing how this is common,” said LaRose. “This instance should be a huge deal, we should be hearing almost nothing else on the news about this, especially after the first assassination attempt,” he said
Authorities are questioning the efficiency of the Secret Service, considering this is the second assassination attempt against Trump.
Jeffrey Veltri, a Miami Secret Service field officer, said this is a serious matter — while being determined to provide answers as to what led up to the events that took place.
According to CNN, a detention hearing has been set for Monday, Sept. 23, with the arraignment set for Monday, Sept. 30, with Routh in custody until then.
Law enforcement agents and the Secret Service question whether the efforts to protect the former president are substantial to the safety of candidates and their families.