Donald Trump was the target Sunday of “what appears to be an attempted assassination” at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, the FBI said, just nine weeks after the Republican presidential nominee survived another attempt on his life. The former president said he was safe and well, and authorities held a man in custody.
The man in custody was Ryan Routh, a clearly unstable man whose social media posts suggested he was obsessed with supporting Ukraine and thought that Trump is a threat to democracy – exactly what Democrats, including Kamala Harris, have been continuously accusing Trump of being, even after the first attempt on his life.
Routh also previously posted a photo of a map with a caption suggesting that he was less-than-thrilled with the existence of a Jewish State in Israel.
Oddly, Routh tagged Yeshiva World News in a 2022 social media post, urging us to release a “CALL TO ACTION” in support of Ukraine.
U.S. Secret Service agents posted a few holes up from where Trump was playing noticed the muzzle of an AK-style rifle sticking through the shrubbery that lines the course, roughly 400 yards away.
An agent fired and the gunman dropped the rifle and fled in an SUV, leaving the firearm behind along with two backpacks, a scope used for aiming and a GoPro camera, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said. The man was later taken into custody in a neighboring county.
In an email to supporters, Trump said: “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!” He wrote: “Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!”
An email to Trump campaign staffers obtained by AP said, “This is not a matter that we take lightly. Your safety is always our top priority. We ask that you remain vigilant in your daily comings and goings.”
“As we enter the last 50 days of President Trump’s campaign, we must remember that we will only be able save America from those who seek to destroy it by working together as one team.”
In the aftermath, Trump checked in with allies, including running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and several Fox News hosts.
Fox News host Sean Hannity recounted on air his conversation with Trump and the former president’s golf partner, Steve Witkoff. They told Hannity they had been on the fifth hole and about to go up to putt when they heard a “pop pop, pop pop.” Within seconds, he said Witkoff recounted, Secret Service agents “pounced on” Trump and “covered him” to protect him.
Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast swing that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser. His campaign had not advised about any public plans for Trump on Sunday. He often spends the morning playing golf, before having lunch at the club, one of three he owns in the state.
He has had a stepped-up security footprint since the assassination attempt in July. When he has been at Trump Tower in New York, parked dump trucks have formed a wall outside the building. At outdoor rallies, he now speaks from behind an enclosure of bulletproof glass.
The Florida golf course was partially shut down for Trump as he played, but there are several areas around the perimeter of the property where golfers are visible from the fence line. Secret Service agents and officers in golf carts and on ATVs generally secure the area several holes ahead and behind Trump when he plays. Agents also usually bring an armored vehicle onto the course to shelter Trump quickly should a threat arise.
The Palm Beach County sheriff said the entire golf course would have been lined with law enforcement if Trump were the president, but because he is not, “security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.”
“I would imagine that the next time he comes to the golf course, there will probably be a little more people around the perimeter,” Bradshaw said. “But the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done, they provided exactly what the protection should have been and their agent did a fantastic job.”
Former presidents and their spouses have Secret Service protection for life, but the security around former presidents varies according to threat levels and exposure, with the toughest typically being in the immediate aftermath of their leaving office.
Trump’s protective detail has been higher than some other former presidents because of his high visibility and his campaign to seek the White House again.
News reporters were not with Trump on Sunday. Bucking tradition, Trump’s campaign has not arranged to have a protective pool of reporters travel with him, as is standard for major party nominees and for the president. Harris does not have a protective pool at all times, but does allow reporters to travel with her for public events.
Martin County Sheriff William D. Snyder said the suspect was apprehended within minutes of the FBI, Secret Service and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office putting out a “very urgent BOLO” — or “be on the lookout” alert detailing the specific vehicle sought, license plate number and description of the occupant.
Snyder said his deputies “immediately flooded” northbound I-95, deploying to every exit between the Palm Beach County line to the south and St. Lucie County line to the north.
“One of my road patrol units saw the vehicle, matched the tag and we set up on the vehicle,” Snyder said, “We pinched in on the car, got it safely stopped and got the driver in custody.”
Snyder told WPTV that the suspect “was not armed when we took him out of the car.”
The man had a calm, flat demeanor and showed little emotion when he was stopped by police, Snyder said, saying the suspect did not question why he was being pulled over.
“He never asked, ‘what is this about?’ Obviously, law enforcement with long rifles, blue lights, a lot going on. He never questioned it,” Snyder said.
Below is a portion of a video Routh made prior to today’s attempt on Trump’s life, in which he urges support for Ukraine’s war against Russia.
(AP)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
10 Responses
trump 😧🥺😞😧🧡
A person like Trump who attempts to seat fake electors, pressure his VP to violate tht Constitution, unleashed a mob on the Capitol and constantly and consistently lies about a stolen election is a threat to democracy. It is not hyperbole. That being said political violence is abhorrent and wrong. Threats to democracy will be defeated at the ballot box and anyone using or condoning violence is a threat to democracy and America.
@crazy
lifi your logic, I would just point out that instead of Osama Bin Ladin being assassinated, he should’ve been defeated at the ballot box.
A threat to our democracy should be treated as a such. The problem with current political rhetoric is that none of the people who are being termed ” threats to democracy” nowadays are actually threats to democracy. it’s extremely dangerous and irresponsible to label them as such.
think harder, be crazy less.
A person like Trump who attempted to use government power to overturn the will of the people is a threat to American democracy there is no way around that. However when he loses again he will no longer be the same threat. The analogy to Bin Ladin is way off the mark as the nature of Bin Ladin’s threat was terror and violence and not one that is based on the abuse of the power of the American government.
@crazy tippush:
The only crime committed at the Capitol on Jan 6th was a black male, Michael Byrd, gunned down an unarmed white female army veteran Ashley Babbitt in cold blood and then laughed about it afterwards on cable tv.
what a disaster this man is ….America alone is one of the most evil nations alive…..considering their hand in Hitlers removal of Jews…Shame on you Americans….I loathe you for ever
Does anyone even remember what the shocking message DIRECTLY FROM HASHEM was of just one month ago when they tried to assassinate former president Donald Trump the first time?
THE SHOCKING MESSAGE
On July 13th 2024, former president Donald J. Trump was speaking at a presidential campaign for the upcoming election of his second presidential campaign and then while he was still speaking he was shot in the ear from the roof of another building across the campaign and everyone is asking what is the message DIRECTLY FROM HASHEM and why would Hashem have him shot in the ear versus anywhere else in his entire body that could’ve killed him? And Then a week later a major tragedy hit klal yisroel, 2 innocent people driving in the Catskill mountain went over the road and we’re immediately niftar Rachmana litzlan leaving wives and large families of orphans without a father and everyone is asking what is the message from Hashem? The shocking message is that First our loving father and King of Kings Hashem ruler of the entire world, sends wake up calls through other nations to bring us to Teshuva but if that Chas VShalom doesn’t work and we don’t LISTEN WITH OUR EARS and openly accept Hashem’s wake up call for serious Teshuva and Achdus then we leave Hashem no choice but to Chas VShalom hit his loving nation klal yisroel directly with non stop horrific tragedies as we have all seen just in the last few months alone. ARE WE GOING TO CONTINUE LIVING IN DENIAL? and then ask ourselves why there’s so much tzaros in Klal yisroel? When it could’ve all been avoided if we only accepted Hashem’s wake up call for serious Teshuva and Achdus together as one loving nation?.
Do YOU know any father in the entire world that likes to hit and punish his child? Sometimes the father has no choice, the kid won’t do his homework or listen and go to sleep when told. What do we call that? A potch of LOVE, the parent has no choice and it’s completely for the kids benefit of chinuch and when he grows up if he remembers the story he might even come back to his parents and thank them when he now as an adult knows it was completely out of love and for his good.
It pains Hashem to see his loving children Klal yisroel suffering but there’s no one else to blame except ourselves when we all openly see the horrific tragedies hitting klal yisroel and Instead choose to continue living in denial and doing nothing about it versus waking up and showing Hashem that we accept Hashem’s wake up call for serious Teshuva, Kinnus and Taanis like we did in the story of Purim and our lives were saved because of it.
May we all accept Hashems wake up call for serious Teshuva and Achdus together as one loving nation so Hashem can send Mashiach already bkarov
Krazy –
You must recall that there was an extraordinary amount of irregularities about the election. The election was largely male in that I think every rational person agrees is ripe for fraud. Several battleground states had judges change the laws of counting balance. For the first time ever we had elections decided by male vote, but no providence of the balance. Ballots that came in unsigned were counted. Ballots that came in late against the law were counted . Ballots that came in updated against the law were counted. None of these were allowed to be counted. Judges decided at the last minute that they would count them. Judges do not have that power. Those rules can be made by the legislator only. There is a massive number of votes. Men that were counted illegally. when we all went to bed that night Trump had all but won the election. When we woke up, it turns out there was a massive number of votes for Biden that occurred overnight that pushed him over the edge.
It’s saying there are enough questions about the elections legitimacy that it should be looked into. But for procedural reasons no real investigation ever took place. So when Trump said I’m not accepting that election was counted legitimately he has a point. He was not disputing a clearly legitimate election. he was disputing an Election with substantial irregularities that should have been investigated.
“tzedikes”
Sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a SINGLE period!
Please have mercy on us and write normally as the moderators don’t seem to care about us.
Besides the fact that your post is over the top hyperbole. I don’t believe you live here and closely follow U.S. politics so it would behoove you not to make such rash statements
It seems the secret service is collaborating with these assaliants. Only 60 dyas after the first attempt a second assailiant got only 500 yards from Trump with an half automatic gun which could of done the job.
Matters don”t add up.
TRUMP SHOULD HIRE A PRIVATE SECURITY GROUP !!!!