Law enforcement identifies suspect in alleged assassination attempt on Trump at one of his golf courses

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is safe after what the FBI describes as “an assassination attempt” while he was golfing, two months after another assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Local authorities said U.S. Secret Service agents protecting Trump shot a man pointing an AK-style rifle with a scope as Trump played on one of his golf courses in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Here are five things to know about what happened to the Republican presidential candidate on Sunday.

Who is the suspect?

Law enforcement said the man who pointed the gun and was arrested is Ryan Wesley Routh. Authorities identified the suspect to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

Records show that Routh, 58, lived in North Carolina for most of his life before moving in 2018 to Kaaawa, Hawaii, where he and his son operated a shed-building business, according to an archived version of the company's webpage.

Routh frequently posted on social media about the war in Ukraine and had a website where he sought to raise money and recruit volunteers to travel to Kiev to help fight the Russian invasion. In June 2020, he posted a message on X to then-President Trump, saying he would be re-elected if he issued an executive order directing the Justice Department to pursue police misconduct. That year, he also posted a message supporting the Democratic presidential campaign of Tulsi Gabbard, then a U.S. representative from Hawaii, who has since left the party and endorsed Trump.

However, in recent years, his posts suggest he has turned away from Trump and expressed support for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

In July, after the assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania, Routh urged Biden and Harris to visit those injured in the shooting at the hospital and attend the funeral of a former fire chief killed at the rally.

Voter records show he registered as an unaffiliated voter in North Carolina in 2012, most recently voting in person in the state's March 2024 Democratic primary. Federal campaign finance records show Routh has made 19 small political donations totaling $140 since 2019 using his Hawaii address to ActBlue, a political action committee that supports Democratic candidates.

Records show that while living in Greensboro, North Carolina, Routh had numerous run-ins with law enforcement. He was convicted in 2002 of possessing a weapon of mass destruction, according to online records from the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections.

Records don’t provide details about the case. But a 2002 News & Record article says a man with the same name was arrested after a three-hour standoff with police. The article says he was arrested during a traffic stop, got a gun and barricaded himself inside a roofing company. He owned the roofing company, according to state registration records.

How did this happen?

Local authorities said the gunman was about 400 to 500 yards from Trump and hiding in bushes while the former president played a round of golf at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said that when people enter the bushes around the course, “they’re pretty much out of sight.” Bradshaw said the entire golf course would have been lined with law enforcement if Trump were the sitting president, but since he’s not, “security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.”

Trump’s security detail is larger than that of some of his peers because of his high profile and his campaign to run for the White House again. His security was beefed up days before the July assassination attempt in Pennsylvania because of a death threat from Iran, U.S. officials said.

What has Trump said since the attempt?

In an email to supporters, Trump said: “There have been shots fired in my neighborhood, but before the rumors start to get out of hand, I first wanted you to hear this: I AM SAFE AND HEALTHY!”

His running mate, J.D. Vance, and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said they spoke with Trump after the incident, and both said he was in “good spirits.” Trump also reached out to several Fox News anchors.

Sean Hannity, a Fox News anchor and close friend of the former president, said on air that he spoke with Trump and his golf partner, Steve Witkoff, after the game. They told Hannity that they were on the fifth hole when they heard a “pop pop, pop pop.” Within seconds, he said, Witkoff said Secret Service agents “swooped down on” Trump and “covered” him to protect him.

Moments later, Witkoff said, a “fast cart” with steel reinforcement and other protections was able to carry Trump away.

Hannity said Trump's reaction after the incident — and when it was clear that everyone, including Witkoff, was safe — was to joke that he was sad he couldn't finish the hole because he “was tied and had made a birdie putt.”

What does Vice President Kamala Harris say?

Harris, Trump's Democratic presidential opponent, posted on X that she had been informed of reports of shots fired.

“I'm glad he's safe. Violence has no place in America.”

The White House said President Joe Biden and Harris would be kept informed of the investigation's progress. The White House added that it was “relieved” that Trump was safe.

What's next?

Trump has not announced any changes to his schedule and is expected to speak live on X Monday night from his Mar-a-Lago resort to launch his sons' crypto platform.

At the same time, leaders of a bipartisan congressional task force investigating the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump said they had requested a briefing from the Secret Service.

“We are grateful that the former president was not injured, but we remain deeply concerned about political violence and condemn it in all its forms,” Rep. Mike Kelly, Republican of Pennsylvania, and Rep. Jason Crow, Democrat of Colorado, said in a statement. They said the task force would share updates.

U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Florida Democrat who is on the task force, said he would “seek answers about what happened today and what happened next.”

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By Adriana Gomez Licon, Associated Press