FBI: Suspect in Trump assassination attempt spent 12 hours near a golf course

Brandon Livesey
Report from New York

Donald Trump appeared to be the target of an assassination attempt on Sunday, just two months after the Republican presidential candidate was shot in the ear at a rally in Butler.

The suspect did not fire any shots in Sunday’s incident, according to an “overly vigilant” agent who spotted a gun barrel sticking out of a bush on Trump’s golf course in Florida, according to the Secret Service.

The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, was in court today and charged with federal weapons offenses and may face additional charges.

The FBI is investigating Routh’s social media accounts, which show a man heavily focused on the war in Ukraine. The 58-year-old also has a criminal past that dates back to the 1990s.

In his first public comments since the latest incident, Trump described hearing “four or five gunshots” at a live event on X on Monday night. “The Secret Service did a great job,” he said, blaming “political opponents” for the “rhetoric” that preceded the shooting.

This second disturbing incident in a matter of weeks has sparked bipartisan calls for better protection for presidential candidates, and the presidential election is still 49 days away.

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