The second would-be Donald Trump assassin is a guy who claims to have cast a vote in 2016 for the former president but is now hopelessly disappointed that the man hasn't evolved from being a bully. Ryan Routh set up on the fringes of Trump's West Palm Beach golf course, one hole from where the Republican nominee attempted to sink a birdie putt, and pointed his rifle toward the greens. Secret Service scrambled, Trump was saved, and the suspect was arrested within minutes. The incident is still under investigation, which leads to the public asking, "Who is this guy?
Who is the man who had a rusted old truck in his driveway sporting a Biden/Harris bumper sticker? A man who claims he voted for Trump in 2016 so as not to vote for "that candidate" (Hillary Clinton). What happened to that guy to turn him into an assassin wannabe lying in wait for 12 hours for Trump to be on the fifth hole?
Florida's Martin County Sheriff, William Snyder, might be asking the same question. Snyder is the one who nabbed the rifleman, fleeing in a black Nissan. Snyder met with no resistance or political message. "I was at the scene, and he had a very, very kind of detached, flat face. So, I felt like it wasn't bothering him," Snyder said of the alleged assailant. The sheriff also noted that Routh never protested the arrest or asked why he was detained.
But that doesn't sound remotely like the man Routh portrayed himself to be.
The Routh Backstory
Routh has a rap sheet dating back to the 1990s, according to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, which includes a disturbing 2002 felony charge of possessing a weapon of mass destruction. The weapon itself is unknown to the public at this time, but former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told News Nation Prime that it could mean all sorts of crazy.
"Essentially, it's a weapon that can be used to cause a lot of damage to any sort of infrastructure or a large population," Coffindaffer said. "That can be radiological, that could be chemical, that could be nuclear, that could be explosive."
It would appear that after more than 100 brushes with the law in his Tarheel State home, Routh decided to reinvent himself and moved to Hawaii with his longtime girlfriend. Yet he shows up to protest in a variety of locations, claiming to recruit soldiers for Ukraine and being highly involved in pro-Palestinian protests on the mainland.
Nevertheless, when he settled on the rock in the Pacific, Routh created a construction business and posted his ideals on LinkedIn. Those self-styled words reflect a different, community-involved, undetached individual:
"Having passed along any meager remnants of myself in North Carolina and relocated to Oahu, I currently build very simple housing structures for the less fortunate and pursue a wide range of other creative projects towards developing unique products and devices as well as community improvement projects. I am certainly free to relocate to any remote location on the planet that might render the most positive impact, or right around the corner creating something unique and magical."
Sounds like a lifetime away from a "weapon of mass destruction" conviction. It is a wonder, then, how Routh could have morphed his idea of building homes for poor Hawaiians into acting as a lone wolf setting up to take a shot to kill Trump. He did say he would accept any invitation "to join any monumental worthy cause to bring about real change in our world," like helping the homeless.
His agenda advanced. Somehow, he decided to go to Florida, rent a vehicle, purchase a Go-Pro camera, a Soviet-style rifle, and bullet-deflecting ceramic plates — in what appears to be a premeditated attempt at murder.
Assassin in Mental Haze of Hate
Routh self-published an e-book urging Iran to kill the former president. "You are free to assassinate Trump," he encouraged Iran in the book, Ukraine's Unwinnable War, a graphic and disturbing account of his alleged time in Ukraine. Published in 2023, he described the former president as a "fool" and "buffoon" and detailed his "tremendous blunder" of leaving the Iran nuclear deal.
This new man also doesn't much jibe with his estranged 25-year-old son Oran Routh, who spoke with the Daily Mail: "He's my dad, and all he's had is a couple traffic tickets, as far as I know. That's crazy. I know my dad and love my dad, but that's nothing like him."
The son went on, "He's not a violent person. He’s a hard worker and a great dad. He’s a great dude, a nice guy, and has worked his whole f–-ing life.” Oran admitted both he and his father hated Trump.
Just four years ago, Ryan Routh made a social media post backing Trump's re-election, but now he is all about Biden and Harris.
How did Routh go from being an American activist to a radical-left failed assassin? He built his own business, stood up for the little guy, and claimed money was not the driver behind his successes. He has been active in voting – a privilege he will soon understand more than most. In 2012, the North Carolina State Board of Elections listed the would-be assassin as “unaffiliated,” and he voted in that state’s Democratic primary in March this year — not in his current home state of Hawaii.
Routh has donated to ActBlue, the platform that processes donations for Democrats. Routh flies the Biden-Harris colors on his vehicles, and he wanted President Trump to be assassinated – after apparently supporting Trump twice. Something snapped. But what?
Editor's note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Routh had earned a degree from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. It has been updated to reflect that he did not.
