“When it comes to the question of why I’m here, to me a lot of other conflicts are gray, but this conflict is definitely black and white,” Routh said. “This is a war where we know who’s who. It’s like a fairy tale, like any movie where evil faces off against good.”
Routh supports Ukraine
CNN analyst John Miller reported Sunday afternoon that Routh’s social media accounts focused on his “self-proclaimed involvement” in the war in Ukraine, including his alleged efforts to recruit soldiers to fight in the conflict. Routh has also claimed to have fought in Ukraine during the ongoing conflict with Russia.
In an interview with The New York Times published on March 25, 2023, Routh spoke about his efforts to recruit Afghan soldiers who had fled the Taliban to fight in Ukraine. He also claimed to have spent several months in Ukraine in 2022.
In turn, in an article published by Semafor.com (a portal that deals, among others, with defense issues – editor’s note) on March 10, 2023, Routh was mentioned as head of the International Volunteer Center (IVC) in Ukraine, a private organization that operates to “empower volunteers” and other non-profit organizations working to “increase the distribution of humanitarian aid throughout Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, Trump has expressed skepticism about providing arms and ammunition to Ukraine, inspiring Republicans to block military funding to the country. During the last debate with Kamala Harris, Trump ignored a question about whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war.
According to experts, the Republican candidate’s recent behavior could have been a potential motive for the alleged killer.
Trump responds quickly
After the assassination attempt, Trump addressed his supporters on social media, writing: “Shots were fired in my neighborhood, but before the rumors start to get out of hand, I wanted you to know: I am safe and I am OK.”
– Nothing will slow me down. I will never give up, added the former president.
Trupm was not injured and returned to his home at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach after the incident.
Trump’s running mate and vice presidential candidate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, wrote on X that he spoke with the former president before the news became public and said he was “in surprisingly good spirits.”
Routh’s previous crimes
CNN analyst Miller added that Routh had lived in Hawaii and previously worked in construction in North Carolina. The suspect had been arrested eight times, mostly for minor crimes. In 2002, he was convicted of illegally possessing firearms, including a machine gun.
Federal Election Commission (FEC) records paint an unexpected picture of the suspect’s past political involvement. According to their records, between September 2019 and March 2020, Routh donated more than $140 through the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue. These donations, which ranged from $1 to $25, came while Routh was registered as unemployed. His contributions, while modest, were directed to several Democratic presidential candidates in 2020.
Recipients of Routh’s political largesse have included former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, billionaire Tom Steyer, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Interestingly, Routh has also repeatedly supported former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who has since radically changed her political affiliation, leaving the Democratic Party and allying herself with Trump.
Routh’s donation list does not include President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris, who ultimately clinched the Democratic nomination.
AK-47 pointed at a golf course
Trump played golf on Sunday afternoon at his Trump International Golf Course. Around 1:30 p.m. local time, Secret Service agents on duty near the former president spotted the rifle through the golf course fence, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said during a news conference following the assassination attempt.
The suspect was about 500 yards away from where Trump was playing. The Secret Service officer was one hole ahead of Trump’s group on the golf course. He noticed the suspect in the bushes near the fence and “immediately responded.” The officer opened fire. The suspect dropped the weapon and fled in a Nissan SUV.
A witness at the scene took a photo of the vehicle, which allowed police to locate the suspect based on the license plate.
Bradshaw said the suspect had an AK-style rifle with a scope, two backpacks hanging from a fence and a GoPro camera. After fleeing in an SUV, Routh was arrested in a nearby county without a weapon. The witness identified the arrestee.
Teri Barbera, a spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, said only one person is being questioned in the investigation. Barbera did not provide information about a possible motive.
Dave Aronberg, the state’s attorney for Palm Beach County, said his prosecutors are working on a warrant and requests for pretrial detention. Aronberg said the suspect will initially be charged at the state level, but could also be charged with federal crimes.
Republicans urge caution
Georgia state Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a close Trump ally, wrote on X: “Dear Democrats and your activist media, are Donald Trump’s two attempts on his life now considered a ‘threat to democracy’?”
Following Sunday’s incident — which came just nine weeks after the attempted attack in Pennsylvania — the Trump campaign sent an email to staff asking them to remain vigilant.
— As we enter the final 50 days of President Trump’s campaign, we must remember that only by working together as a team will we be able to save America from those who would destroy it.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris have been briefed on the incident and the ongoing investigation. “I have been made aware of reports of shots fired near former President Trump and his Florida property and am glad he is safe,” Kamala Harris wrote. “There is no place for violence in America.”
“I am relieved that the former President was unharmed,” President Biden said in a statement. “As I have said many times, there is no place for violence in any form in our country. I have directed my team to confirm that the Secret Service has all the resources, capabilities, and protective measures necessary to ensure the continued safety of the former President.”
Governor Ron Desantis announced on X that the state of Florida will conduct a full investigation into the shooting. – The people deserve the truth about the alleged killer and how he managed to get within 500 yards of the former president and current Republican Party candidate.
Oran Routh, the son of suspect Ryan Routh, told CNN after his father’s arrest on Sunday that he hoped it was all “blown out of proportion” and that his father “didn’t do anything crazy, let alone brutal.”
— Ryan is my father and I’m not going to comment on that. Let me just say that to me he is a loving and caring father and an honest and hard-working man. I don’t know what happened in Florida and I hope things were blown out of proportion because from what I’ve heard it doesn’t seem like the man I know did anything crazy, much less violent. He’s a good father and a great man, he said.
Text published in the American magazine “Newsweek”. Title, lead and subtitles by the editors of “Newsweek Polska” .
