New Alleged Trump Shooter Gave to Democrats, Posted 'Democracy Is on the Ballot and We Cannot Lose'
Authorities are learning more about the man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump on Sunday while the former president was golfing. This is the second assassination attempt in two months.
The suspect in the incident is 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh. Monday morning, Routh was charged in a federal court in West Palm Beach with possessing a firearm despite being a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Additional and more serious charges are possible as the investigation continues.
Officials say the suspect was stationed right outside the golf course with food and a rifle for nearly 12 hours before he was finally spotted by a Secret Service agent who opened fire to prevent him from shooting at Trump.
Authorities say the alleged gunman who targeted the Republican presidential candidate was a former roofing contractor from Greensboro, N.C., but had moved to Hawaii.
He is reported to have donated exclusively to Democratic candidates and causes as far back as 2019, but apparently was a Trump supporter in 2016 before turning against him. In 2023, he wrote a self-published book urging Iran to murder the former president, writing, “You are free to assassinate Trump.”
Earlier this year, Routh cited Democratic campaign rhetoric while posting on X, "DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose. We cannot afford to fail..."
He also posted that Trump's campaign should be called "...make Americans slaves again..."
Routh, who has no military experience, was interviewed in 2022 by Newsweek about his strong support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, a cause he was heavily involved with and concerned about.
On the video, Routh says of the Ukraine war, "This conflict is black and white. This conflict is about good and evil."
Routh said he was willing to fight and die in Ukraine, and told The New York Times in 2023 that he had traveled to Ukraine and wanted to recruit Afghan soldiers to fight there.
Police say Routh had positioned himself behind a fence at Trump International Golf Club with an AK-47 rifle with a scope, body armor, two backpacks, and a GoPro camera. He was between 300 and 500 yards from the former president and appeared to be aiming a gun near him.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said, "An (Secret Service) agent that jumps one hole ahead of time to where the president was at, and he was able to spot this rifle barrel, sticking out of the fence and immediately engage that individual, at which time the individual took off."
WATCH: Second Trump Assassination Attempt
Routh reportedly fled in his car but was caught in a neighboring county.
Former President Trump issued a statement saying, "My resolve is only stronger after another attempt on my life! I will never slow down. I will never give up."
In a statement, President Biden said, "There is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country." He promised to give the Secret Service every resource it needs to protect the former president.
Routh has had previous run-ins with law enforcement, including a 2002 felony conviction for possessing a weapon of mass destruction, according to online North Carolina Department of Adult Correction records. But court records don’t give details about the case.
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