Ryan Wesley Routh, the 58-year-old man arrested after an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, had a litany of self-imposed reasons for taking action on Sunday.
Details about Routh, who was taken into custody after fleeing Trump’s Florida golf course by vehicle, have quickly emerged less than 24 hours later, including past statements claiming he traveled to Ukraine to fight in its war and helped recruit ex-Taliban militants to join his cause. He donated exclusively to Democratic candidates over the years since Trump was in office and wrote “DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose.” A social media account appearing to belong to Routh was suspended by X on Monday.
According to authorities who arrested Routh, he did not resist. “He never asked, ‘What is this about?’ Obviously, law enforcement with long rifles, blue lights, a lot going on. He never questioned it,” Martin County Sheriff William Snyder told the AP. The traffic stop came after Secret Service agents spotted a long gun near the course’s fence line aimed in the direction of President Trump. Routh allegedly left behind the rifle as well as a backpack of supplies.
Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Routh, a frequent social media user, ranted about “biological warfare” from the Chinese and called the outbreak an “attack” on America. He was interviewed by the New York Times in 2023 about Americans involved in the Ukraine-Russia war. “Soldiers, please do not call me. We are still trying to get Ukraine to accept Afghan soldiers and hope to have some answers in the coming months… please have patience,” Routh wrote on Facebook in July. The international legion of the Ukrainian army said on Sunday denied any connection to the alleged shooter. “We would like to clarify that Ryan Wesley Routh has never been part of, associated with, or linked to the International Legion in any capacity. Any claims or suggestions indicating otherwise are entirely inaccurate,” the legion told NBC News by email.
Other records obtained by the BBC indicate that Routh has a criminal record stretching back to 2002 when he instigated an hours-long standoff with police in Greensboro, North Carolina. He was sentenced to probation for the incident but was convicted of several other felonies in the state between 2002 and 2010. Another social media post in July 2020 appeared to show Routh expressing disappointment in Trump after voting for him in 2016. “@realDonaldTrump While you were my choice in 2106 [sic], I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment and it seems you are getting worse and devolving; are you retarded; I will be glad when you gone [sic],” read a post from the now-deleted X account.
Routh will have his first court appearance on Monday at 10 a.m. at the Paul G. Rogers Federal Building and U.S. Court House in West Palm Beach Florida, according to NBC News. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has directed state authorities to launch their own investigation into the circumstances that allowed Routh to come within 500 yards of the former president and Republican nominee.
