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Trump International Golf Club shooting
The suspect's car getting pulled over by police soon after the incident
Location of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida
Location	Trump International Golf Club (West Palm Beach, Florida, US)
Coordinates	26°40′00″N 80°5′21″W / 26.66667°N 80.08917°W / 26.66667; -80.08917
Date	September 15, 2024; 3 months ago (2024-09-15) ~1:30 p.m. (UTC−04:00)
Target	Believed to be Donald Trump
Attack type	Suspected assassination attempt
Weapon	SKS-style rifle
Deaths	0
Injured	0
Motive	Under investigation
Accused	Ryan Wesley Routh
Charges	Criminal possession of a firearm (2 counts)

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On September 15, 2024, a Secret Service agent fired upon a suspect, later identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, who was spotted allegedly hiding with a rifle in shrubs at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Routh fled the scene and was later captured in nearby Martin County, Florida. The incident occurred while Donald Trump, a former president of the United States, was golfing at the club. Officials believe that Routh intended to shoot Trump. No injuries were reported. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident as an attempted assassination. The incident occurred two months after an attempted assassination of Trump while he spoke at a presidential campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Background

The Trump International Golf Club has been noted as a potential target for attempts on Donald Trump's life. The incident occurred 64 days after a previous assassination attempt on Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in which Trump was shot and wounded in his upper right ear.

Incident

The incident took place at about 1:30 p.m. EDT, approximately 12 hours after the alleged gunman had arrived, while Trump was golfing at the club between holes five and six with friend and donor Steve Witkoff. A man was seen by Secret Service agents aiming a rifle on the golf course while hiding in shrubs approximately 400 yards away from Trump. One agent fired at the man, who dropped his weapon and fled in a vehicle. The man did not have a clear line of sight on Trump and did not fire his gun. A witness took a photo of the suspect's vehicle, assisting authorities in tracking it down. The golf course was locked down shortly after the incident, and no injuries were reported.

Recovered at the scene were an SKS-style rifle with a scope, two backpacks containing ceramic tiles that could deflect a bullet, and a GoPro camera.

Suspect

Shortly after the incident, authorities identified the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58-year-old Hawaii resident who had spent most of his life in Greensboro, North Carolina. Routh and his son own a shed-building company in Hawaii. Routh had a history of political activity online and offline, including writing on Signal about the Russian invasion of Ukraine that, "Civilians must change this war and prevent future wars". Routh had also made posts on Twitter claiming he voted for Trump in 2016 but has since regretted it, and had invited North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to Hawaii for a "vacation," in which Routh would act as "liaison". In a self-published e-book in 2023, he wrote about his previous support for Trump by stating, "I am man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake". Following his disillusionment with Trump, Routh has since announced his support for various presidential opponents of Trump, including Democratic presidential candidates Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Tulsi Gabbard (a member of the Democratic Party at the time), as well as Republican presidential candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley. Routh had, additionally, donated $140 to Democratic causes since 2019, and is registered in North Carolina as an independent voter.

Routh said in a 2022 interview with a Romanian reporter in Kyiv that he flew to Ukraine to join the army in the months after Russia's full-scale invasion but learned that he was "not an ideal candidate" for the battlefield because he was in his mid-50s with no military experience. Later in 2022, Routh said in an interview that after he was rejected for military service, he began recruiting volunteer soldiers for the Ukrainian military. Routh complained of roadblocks to Ukraine admitting foreign fighters, telling the publication Semafor, "Ukraine is very often hard to work with, they're afraid that anybody and everybody is a Russian spy".

A former volunteer for Ukraine's International Legion, Evelyn Aschenbrenner, branded Ryan Wesley Routh as "delusional" and a "liar" over his claims that he recruited for the Ukrainian organization, saying Routh was "not, and never has been, associated with the International Legion or the Ukrainian Armed Forces at all". Aschenbrenner said of Routh "He was combative. He was argumentative. He refused repeatedly to understand basic army policy", further adding "There was delusions of grandeur and very disconnected from reality". The International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine said in a statement that Routh had "never been part of, associated with, or linked" to it "in any capacity."

Investigation

Routh was detained as a person of interest while he was driving northbound on Interstate 95 from Palm Beach County to Martin County, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff's units "waited a while" to stop the vehicle to avoid engaging in a high-speed chase. Routh's car was contained by sheriff's units, who forced him off the road and arrested him at gunpoint. Routh was unarmed at the time of his arrest.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation, with the United States Secret Service and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. The FBI is treating the incident as an attempted assassination. Routh's motive is currently unknown, though officials believe he intended to shoot Trump.

Responses

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump's opponent in the 2024 presidential election, were briefed on the incident. The White House released a statement saying: "The president and vice president have been briefed about the security incident at the Trump International Golf Course, where former President Trump was golfing. They are relieved to know that he is safe." In a separate statement, Harris said: "I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America."

Shortly after the shooting, Twitter chairman Elon Musk quote-retweeted a post on the site which asked "Why they want to kill Donald Trump? [sic]", responding that "no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala". Although he initially defended his wording, Musk deleted the tweet following widespread condemnation, claiming the following day that his remarks were intended as a joke. The White House issued a statement calling Musk's comment "irresponsible," writing that "violence should only be condemned, never encouraged or joked about".

See also

• Security incidents involving Donald Trump

References

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5. Dawsey, Josh; Leonnig, Carol D. (September 15, 2024). "Trump was golfing at his club when Secret Service agents heard gunshots". The Washington Post.
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9. ^ "Trump uninjured after gunfire near his Florida club". The Washington Post. September 15, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
10. Traylor, Jake; Dienst, Jonathan; Winter, Tom; O'Donnell, Kelly; Atkins, Chloe; Marquez, Alexandra; Lebowitz, Megan (September 15, 2024). "Trump safe after suspect in apparent assassination attempt arrested with AR-style rifle, scope and GoPro". NBC News. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
11. Goldman, Adam (September 16, 2024). "Officials Say Suspect Never Had Sight of Trump on Golf Course". The New York Times. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
12. Stepansky, Joseph. "FBI probing shooting at Trump's golf course as 'attempted assassination'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
13. ^ Faulders, Katherine; Scott, Rachel; Date, Jack; Sarnoff, Leah (September 15, 2024). "Trump is 'safe' after gunshots near his Florida golf club, campaign says". ABC News. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
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16. Halpert, Madeline; Peter, Laurence (September 15, 2024). "Trump rushed to safety and suspect held after man spotted with rifle". BBC News. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
17. ^ Goldman, Adam; Gibbons-Neff, Thomas; Thrush, Glenn; Rahim, Najim (September 15, 2024). "Suspected Gunman Said He Was Willing to Fight and Die in Ukraine". The New York Times. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
18. ^ Licon, Adriana (September 15, 2024). "5 things to know about the apparent assassination attempt on Trump at one of his golf courses". Associated Press. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
19. Mikkelsen, Emily; Skipper, Elijah; Melrose, Justyn (September 15, 2024). "Greensboro neighbor describes man accused of attempting Trump assassination, says 'a lot of people were afraid of him'". Fox 8. Retrieved September 15, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
20. ^ De Guzman, Chad (September 16, 2024). "What We Know—and Don't Know—So Far About the Trump Golf Course Shooter". TIME. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
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27. Dolak, Kevin (September 16, 2024). "White House Responds to Elon Musk Post Wondering Why "No One is Trying to Assassinate Biden/Kamala"". The Hollywood Reporter. Elisabeth D. Rabishaw & Victoria Gold. Archived from the original on September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
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• Current events from September 2024
• 2024 in Florida
• September 2024 crimes in the United States
• Controversies of the 2024 United States presidential election
• Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign
• United States Secret Service
• Law enforcement in Florida
• Political violence in the United States
• West Palm Beach, Florida