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What We Know about Ryan Routh, the Alleged Gunman at the 2nd Trump Assassination Attempt

  • Michael Foust Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
  • Updated Sep 17, 2024
What We Know about Ryan Routh, the Alleged Gunman at the 2nd Trump Assassination Attempt

The gunman who allegedly tried to assassinate Republican nominee Donald Trump was a once-supporter of the former president who backed Democrats in recent years and was arrested in 2002 for possessing a weapon of mass destruction. Although police have not named the suspect, multiple outlets say the alleged gunman was Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58-year-old man who has lived in North Carolina and Hawaii. Routh's social media history indicates he supported Trump in 2016 but, in 2020, backed then-U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii when she was a member of the Democratic Party and was running for president. In recent years, his social media included support for President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. 

At one point, he backed a 2024 GOP ticket of Republican candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley, Axios said. Routh was a vocal supporter of Ukraine and had discussed becoming a volunteer soldier. 

He registered as an unaffiliated voter in North Carolina in 2012, the Associated Press reported. Since 2019, he made 19 political donations totaling $140 to the liberal group ActBlue, AP said. 

In 2002, Routh was charged with "possessing a weapon of mass destruction," which was a "fully automatic machine gun," WIRED reported. 

NBC reported that more than 100 criminal counts have been filed in North Carolina against Routh over the years. 

At one point, AP said he and his son operated a business in Hawaii, building sheds.

"I don't know what's happened in Florida, and I hope things have just been blown out of proportion because, from the little I've heard, it doesn't sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent," his son, Oran Routh, told CNN.

Routh allegedly was hiding in bushes along Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla., when a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle poking out of the fence. The agent was at least one hole ahead of Trump, who was several hundred yards away. Routh fled after the agent fired but eventually was caught in another county. Law enforcement recovered an "AK-47-style rifle" with a scope at the scene. 

"Donald Trump has dodged a bullet -- literally, once again!" Greg Laurie, the senior pastor of California's Harvest Christian Fellowship, said on X (formerly Twitter). "I truly believe that God extended His hand of protection over our former president, and I'm so thankful for that."

Laurie called for a change in the national tone.

"The inflammatory political rhetoric needs to be toned down, and we need a return to civility in our public discourse," Laurie said. "Most importantly, America needs to turn back to God. Let's also pray for the right person to be in the Oval Office and for God's protection over everyone serving in elected office, regardless of whether we voted for them or not."

Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., also called for a change in the public discourse. 

"Americans should thank God that the second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was ended without violence," Mohler said. "This is a sobering moment for Americans. No society can survive a descent into political violence. This is a point that should be affirmed by all now."

World leaders, too, said they were grateful for Trump's safety.

"Sara and I were shocked by the second assassination attempt against President Trump and were relieved to hear that it, too, failed. But we should not rely on luck," Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. "We send our best wishes to Donald and Melania along with our hopes that all measures will be taken to ensure that such deadly attacks on a candidate for the US presidency will be foiled in advance."

"I am glad to hear that @realDonaldTrump is safe and unharmed," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "My best wishes to him and his family. It's good that the suspect in the assassination attempt was apprehended quickly. This is our principle: the rule of law is paramount, and political violence has no place anywhere in the world. We sincerely hope that everyone remains safe."

Related Article: Trump Survives 2nd Assassination Attempt as Gunman Targets Golf Course

Photo Credit: ©Instagram/yonkers_voice

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.