Earlier this month, a man was accused of attempting to assassinate former President Trump at his golf course in Florida. The man, identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, appeared in federal court on Monday (September 30) and pleaded not guilty to five federal charges, including attempting to assassinate a major political candidate and assaulting federal officials. Routh also pleaded not guilty to charges of possessing a gun with erased serial numbers, despite being a convicted felon for violent crimes.
It was reported that he had scoped out with a rifle barrel around Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach. A Secret Service agent spotted him and shot at him.
Prosecutors alleged that Routh planned to kill Trump while he was playing golf on September 15 and camped near the sixth hole for about 12 hours before being discovered and fleeing.
Last week, it was revealed that Routh had written a letter months before the attempted assassination, detailing another plan.
In the letter obtained and submitted by prosecutors, Routh wrote, “Dear world, this was supposed to be an assassination attempt against Donald Trump, but I am sorry to disappoint you all, I have tried my best, I have given all my strength.”
The identity of the recipient of the letter and the details of the plan were not reported.
During Monday’s hearing that lasted less than five minutes, Routh’s lawyer requested a jury trial; while waiting for the judge to enter the courtroom, Routh smirked at the media in the courtroom and nodded to the courtroom sketch artist.
The unsuccessful assassination attempt on September 15 was the second recent attempt on Trump’s life. Previously, the former president was hit in the ear by a bullet at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. The shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper after firing at Trump and fatally shooting a rally attendee.
The Secret Service stated that Routh did not fire any shots, and Trump was never in his line of sight. Allegedly, when Secret Service agents found Routh, he had already fled the scene, leaving behind two bags, a rifle with ammunition, a scope, and other items.
According to an FBI affidavit, he was stopped by law enforcement on Interstate 95 in a neighboring county and confidently stated that he knew why he was being stopped.
Prosecutors later revealed that Routh traveled from Greensboro, North Carolina, to West Palm Beach, Florida, on August 14, with his phone connecting to cell towers near Trump’s golf course and Mar-a-Lago a month before the incident.
Regarding the September 15 assassination attempt, authorities stated that Routh camped outside Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course for nearly 12 hours with food and a rifle, but fled after the Secret Service agent discovered him and shot at him without returning fire. Routh was subsequently arrested.
It is currently unknown how Routh had knowledge of Trump’s whereabouts.
Routh has an extensive criminal record, including being charged dozens of times for traffic violations in North Carolina and convicted of felonies involving possession of large-scale weapons and contraband.
Former President Trump believes that the failed assassination attempt is related to the presidential election and hinted that the Justice Department and FBI under the Kamala Harris and Joe Biden administration were “incompetent” to handle the case since Routh was initially only facing two gun-related charges as a convicted felon. Trump’s campaign team referred to it as a “minor incident” until he was later indicted with three additional charges on September 24, including attempted assassination, possession of firearms for violent crimes, and assaulting Secret Service personnel.
According to Reuters, Routh, who initially supported Trump in the 2016 election before switching to support the Democratic Party, is a staunch supporter of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing. In 2020, he posted on social media expressing support for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and mocking Biden as “Sleepy Joe.”
Earlier this year, Routh tweeted a message to Biden on social media, parodying Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again” with the suggestion that Biden’s campaign should be called “Keep America Democratic And Free” and mocking Trump’s as “Make Americans Slaves Again.”
Routh frequently responded on his social media page to comments criticizing Biden and Harris’s opposition to Trump, stating, “Democracy is written on the ballot, we cannot lose.” He often posted about politics and exclusively donated to Democratic politicians.