An image of Ryan Wesley Routh, attempted assassin of Donald Trump.

Ryan Wesley Routh

Part of a series on September 2024 Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump. [View Related Entries]

Updated Sep 16, 2024 at 01:28PM EDT by Zach.

Added Sep 16, 2024 at 04:16AM EDT by sakshi.

PROTIP: Press 'i' to view the image gallery, 'v' to view the video gallery, or 'r' to view a random entry.

This entry contains content that may be considered sensitive to some viewers.
This submission is currently being researched & evaluated!

You can help confirm this entry by contributing facts, media, and other evidence of notability and mutation.

About

Ryan Wesley Routh is the suspected shooter involved in the second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, which occurred in mid-September 2024. Routh reportedly attempted to shoot Trump while he was golfing at the Trump International Gold Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The 58-year-old former Hawaii resident reportedly pointed a rifle at Trump through the grated fence of a golf course before a Secret Service agent spotted him and fired in his direction. Routh reportedly fled the scene and was arrested while driving on Interstate 95. In the aftermath of the shooting attempt, many internet users pored over Routh's internet history, noting his vocal support of Ukraine in their war against Russia and his tendency to propagate COVID-19 conspiracy theories. Social media users were also split on his disparate political opinions as expressed on his now-deleted X / Twitter account, which ranged from supporting a Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy ticket to supporting various Democratic politicians like Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders or criticizing Donald Trump.

History

Assassination Attempt of Donald Trump

On September 15th, 2024, Donald Trump was golfing at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida and was between the fifth and the seventh hole when the attempted shooting occurred. At roughly 1:30 p.m. local time, a Secret Service agent trailing ahead of Trump to secure the area spotted Ryan Routh with a rifle and scope in the tree line and fired in his direction, with Trump standing 300 to 500 yards away from him.[1]

Routh then fled the scene in a black Nissan and was eventually apprehended nearly 40 miles away from the golf course going north on Interstate 95. An eyewitness took photos of Routh's car and license plate before he fled, aiding in his arrest. These facts, minus Routh's name, were relayed by Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw in a news conference on Sunday evening.[2]


- FLA. Palm Beach International Airport SOUTHERN BLVD. Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach 3000 FEET INTERSTATE 95 Palm Beach Mar-a-Lago Trump's residence Β© OpenStreetMap contributors

DD HOLE 4 8 Canal LO 5 7 200 FEET SUMMIT BLVD. 00 6 CONGRESS AVE. SEDEROCE

Soon after Routh was arrested, photos of him dressed in a salmon-pink shirt began to circulate online after 5 p.m. EST on September 15th, 2024. Routh was then identified as a 58-year-old Hawaii resident originally from North Carolina. Routh owned and operated a roofing business in N.C. before moving to Hawaii.



Prior Run-In With Police

According to news reports from December 16th, 2002, a man named Ryan Routh entered a three-hour standoff with local police after he was pulled over for a traffic stop and barricaded himself in his roofing business.

Routh reportedly placed his hand on his weapon and drove away after being pulled over at 10 p.m. as part of a routine traffic stop, and was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possessing a fully automatic machine gun. He was also charged with resisting, delaying and obstructing a law enforcement officer and driving while his license was revoked.[10]

Social Media Post Archives

Ryan Routh's Facebook and X / Twitter social media profiles were deleted soon after he was identified as the Trump attempted shooter on September 15th, 2024. However, various internet users archived both his accounts as seen in a September 15th post by X[6] user @realjakejacks (seen below, top) and a post by X[7] user @BillboardChris (seen below, bottom)


An archive of Routh's X account can also be accessed on the Internet Archive.[8]

Ukraine War Recruitment Efforts

Ryan Routh was reportedly a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia and repeatedly posted online about his attempts to help them in their war efforts. It is unclear if Routh ever succeeded in recruiting any soldiers for the war.

On May 1st, 2022, Routh appeared in an Azov Battalion propaganda video posted by X[5] account @save_mrpl, roughly at the 1:50 timestamp.

BLIGHT SAVE AZOV A30B anonbro@save_mrpl This video is a message to the world from the Mariupol defenders.They are grateful for our support and ask us to keep on fighting."Thank you to everyone who supports the Defenders of Mariupol and raises the issue of Mariupol at the international level Mariupol is " #savemariupol PAHE HO HUKAM no C 7:07 AM - May 1, 2022 1:49 / 2:20


On June 14th, 2022, Newsweek Romania's YouTube[3] interviewed Routh about his efforts to recruit soldiers to fight on behalf of Ukraine in the war. The video gathered over 50,000 views in two years.



A March 25th, 2023, New York Times[5] article titled, "Stolen Valor: The U.S. Volunteers in Ukraine Who Lie, Waste and Bicker" featured an interview with Routh in which he spoke about his attempts to recruit Afghan soldiers who fled the Taliban to join the efforts in Ukraine.


Stolen Valor: The U.S. Volunteers in Ukraine Who Lie, Waste and Bicker People who would not be allowed anywhere near the battlefield in a U.S.-led war are active on the Ukrainian front, with ready access to American weapons.

With Legion growth stalling, Ryan Routh, a former construction worker from Greensboro, N.C., is seeking recruits from among Afghan soldiers who fled the Taliban. Mr. Routh, who spent several months in Ukraine last year, said he planned to move them, in some cases illegally, from Pakistan and Iran to Ukraine. He said dozens had expressed interest. "We can probably purchase some passports through Pakistan, since it's such a corrupt country,” he said in an interview from Washington. It is not clear whether he has succeeded, but one former Afghan soldier said he had been contacted and was interested in fighting if it meant leaving Iran, where he was living illegally.

Routh also attempted to procure a "rocket" from Elon Musk to load it with warheads and aim it at Putin's bunker to "end him," as seen in an April 21st, 2024, post on his X account.


Ryan Routh @Ryan Routh 2024-04-21 @elonmusk I would like to buy a rocket from you. I wish to load it with a warhead for Putins Black sea mansion bunker to end him. Can you give me a price please. It can be old and used as not returning. 8084648342 aid.in.ukraine@gmail.com 55 163 69 172K ㅁ

Routh also attempted to recruit musicians Elton John and Dave Mathews Band to write an "emotional tribute song" for Ukraine on December 28th, 2023.


Ryan Routh @Ryan Routh Follow @davematthewsbnd we need an emotional tribute song for Ukraine as support stalls. I have lyrics and music to We Are One to rally global support. Please help me. 18084648342 aid.in.ukraine@gmail.com I live near Jack Johnson and I am sure he will help. Please 8:45 PM - 12/28/23 11K Views 000

Political Stance

Many internet users noted that Ryan Routh repeatedly criticized Donald Trump and expressed his support for a Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy ticket. Routh also tweeted about supporting Trump in 2016 but eventually soured on him.[13]


Ryan Routh @RyanRouth Follow @Nikki Haley Please join Vivek Ramaswamy as a team of pres and vp; we must do this now to create a winning ticket now that we all can get behind. Please do not be selfish and arrogant; partner now to change the course of this election. Break norms and give us an option. 11:50 PM Jan 8, 2024 80.3K Views

Ryan Routh @RyanRouth Follow @realDonaldTrump While you were my choice in 2106, 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

However, according to the Federal Election Commission's[9] website for individual donor contributions, Ryan Routh contributed to ActBlue in 2020 with donations earmarked for Democratic politicians including Tulsi Gabbard, Andrew Yang, Beto O’Rourke, Tom Steyer and Elizabeth Warren.


Individual contributions Viewing 23 filtered results for: "Routh, Ryan" x Export βœ“ Reset filters X Contributor name Recipient Receipt date Amount ROUTH, RYAN ACTBLUE 03/16/2020 $3.00 ROUTH, RYAN ACTBLUE 03/07/2020 $ 1.90 ROUTH, RYAN ACTBLUE 03/07/2020 $19.00 ROUTH, RYAN ACTBLUE 02/06/2020 $10.00 ROUTH, RYAN ACTBLUE 02/06/2020 $ 1.00 ROUTH, RYAN ACTBLUE 02/01/2020 $ 1.00 ROUTH, RYAN ACTBLUE 02/01/2020 $5.00 ROUTH, RYAN ACTBLUE 01/25/2020 $ 1.00 ROUTH, RYAN ACTBLUE 01/25/2020 $10.00 ROUTH, RYAN ACTBLUE 01/02/2020 $5.00 ROUTH, RYAN ACTBLUE 01/02/2020 $ 1.00 ROUTH, RYAN ACTBLUE 01/02/2020 $ 15.00 Feedback ROUTH, RYAN ACTBLUE 01/02/2020

Routh is also known to have expressed support for the Biden administration and Bernie Sanders on his X account.


Ryan Routh @Ryan Routh Jul 17 - @Kamala Harris You and Biden should visit the injured people in the hospital from the Trump rally and attend the funeral of the murdered fireman. Trump will never do anything for them....show the world what compassion and humanity is all about. 8084648342 248 1221 Ryan Routh 53 ill 108K @RyanRouth - Jul 16 @JoeBiden You should visit the victims in the hospital of the trump rally victims and attend the funeral of the fireman that died; Trump certainly never would. SHOW THE WORLD WHAT REAL LEADERS DO. 37 1742 7 Ryan Routh @Ryan Routh Apr 22 . lil 27K αž’.. @POTUS Your campaign should be called something like KADAF. Keep America democratic and free. Trumps should be MASA...make Americans slaves again master. DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose. We cannot afford to fail. The world is counting on us to show the way. 51 Ryan Routh 149 7 @Ryan Routh Mar 5, 2020 Ill 50K ㅁ I was not supporting Bernie, but now I am; as sleepy Joe stands for nothing; no plans, no ideas, just as limp as hillary. Bernie........give them hell.....fight to the death...... 9 1337 3 ε±±

Online Reactions

Many internet users posted memes and jokes about Ryan Routh, with X[11] user @SwannMarcus89 writing, "Trump's alleged shooter appears to have been a pro-Ukraine covid conspiracy theorist who thought China released the coronavirus on purpose as a bioweapon and supported a Nikki Haley/Vivek Ramaswamy presidential ticket," and posting a swirling Political Compass meme on September 15th, 2024. The post gathered over 47,000 likes in a day.


Swann Marcus @SwannMarcus89 Follow Trump's alleged shooter appears to have been a pro- Ukraine covid conspiracy theorist who thought China released the coronavirus on purpose as a bioweapon and supported a Nikki Haley/Vivek Ramaswamy presidential ticket A Economic- Left Liber Libertarian Left Authoritarian Libertarian 6:17 PM Sep 15, 2024 1.3M Views Authoritarian Right Economic Right arian ht ght

On September 16th, X[12] account @SocDoneLeft posted a crude drawing showing Harris's polling numbers going up after Trump's assassination attempt, with a joke about how the "median voter" condones political violence.


I am donald Trump dude I'm a f------ 50 year old schizo neocon I don't care I'm going to do the worst assassination attempt ever Post-Shooting Polls: Trump: -1 Harris: +2 I am the median voter and I support political violence

Search Interest

Unavailable.

External References

[1] Washington Post – Trump Golf Course Shooting

[2] YouTube – KATU News

[3] YouTube – Newsweek Romania

[4] Β New York Times – Volunteers In Ukraine

[5] X – save_mrpl

[6] X – realjakejacks

[7] X – BillboardChris

[8] Internet Archive – RyanRouth

[9] FEC – Individual Donors

[10] Greensboro – News Report

[11] X – SwannMarcus89

[12] X – SocDoneLeft

[13] AP News – 5 things to know about the apparent assassination attempt on Trump at one of his golf courses

Recent Videos 1 total

Recent Images 15 total


+ Add a Comment

Comments (12)


Display Comments

Add a Comment


Hauu! You must login or signup first!