Former President Donald Trump narrowly survived another assassination attempt on Sunday when a sniper with a scoped AK-47 rifle came within a few hundred yards of him while he was playing golf at a club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
It was the second time in two months that a crazed man armed with an assault rifle has tried to assassinate the 45th president.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw said the suspect hid behind a chain link fence about 300 to 500 yards away from Trump as he teed off on the fifth hole around 2 p.m., “which isn’t that far with a rifle and a scope.”
Law enforcement officials told The Washington Post that the suspect was Ryan Rouse, 58, of Hawaii, who championed progressive causes online and was a trusted donor to Democratic causes and candidates.
He attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University but moved to Hawaii around 2018, according to his LinkedIn page.
In his pages, he describes himself as “mechanical in his thinking” and asserts that his “work is never about the money, it’s about building the frameworks that allow people to thrive and succeed.”
According to the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections, a person with the same full name and birth date as Routh faced more than 10 criminal charges in 2001 and 2002, including carrying a concealed weapon and hit-and-run.
Records show that in April 2002, he also committed a particularly frightening felony: “possession of a weapon of mass destruction.”
On Sunday, the suspected assassin set up a GoPro camera on a fence to capture the shooting – part of a full-scale sniper nest in a hedge at the edge of the Trump International Golf Course, where he lay in wait for Trump to emerge.
Here’s what we know about the assassination attempt on President Trump in Florida.
Secret Service agents found the suspect with the muzzle of a rifle pointed at a chain link fence on the edge of the Trump International Golf Course West Palm Beach South.
Bradshaw told reporters on Sunday night that agents one hole away from Trump’s golf course fired shots at the suspect, who then fled the scene.
Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the gunman fired shots at Secret Service agents or President Trump.
Despite President Trump coming within inches of having his head blown off just two months ago, Bradshaw suggested that because President Trump is not the sitting commander in chief, there will be less security than there would be for President Biden.
“In his current position, he is not a sitting president. If he were, they would have this entire golf course surrounded. But because he is not a sitting president, security is limited to areas that the Secret Service deems feasible,” Bradshaw said.
“The next time he comes to the golf course there will probably be a few more people around, but the Secret Service did exactly what they were supposed to do,” the sheriff said.
After the first assassination attempt, the Secret Service increased its security staff for Trump and also offered to provide protection to then-independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in July.
“I cannot discuss the specifics of the safeguards and enhancements we have implemented because they involve highly sensitive tactics and procedures,” DHS secretary David Cox said at the time, “but I can tell you that we have added personnel and other protective resources, technology and capabilities.”
Following the shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the Secret Service has demanded that President Trump conduct all future outdoor campaign events behind bulletproof glass.
Routh’s arrest was bolstered when a passerby saw him run out of the bushes and get into a black Nissan, took a photo of him and called police, who made it public across the state and arrested him shortly thereafter after being pulled over on Interstate 95.
Investigators discovered the suspect left an “AK-style” rifle and two backpacks at the scene, one of which contained ceramic tiles, Bradshaw said.
Routh has been in the news before: A vocal supporter of Ukraine, he told Newsweek Romania in 2022 that he volunteered to help recruit Ukrainian troops for the war against Russia, and a year later expressed frustration to Semaphore over Ukraine’s reluctance to recruit foreign fighters.
“It’s often very difficult to work together in Ukraine,” he said. “Many foreign soldiers either stay in Ukraine for a week and then leave, or have to move from unit to unit to find a place where they’re respected and valued.”
Kathleen Shafer, a friend of Routh’s who lived in Hawaii with him, wrote on social media about his life in Kiev.
“My fiancée put his life at home on hold in April and traveled to Kyiv to support the people of Ukraine. He plans to stay for at least 90 days and is staying in a military hostel,” Shaffer wrote on Facebook.
Schaefer said Rouse built a memorial for Ukrainians killed in the war, established an international volunteer center and arranged for tactical equipment to be delivered to soldiers on the front lines.
Shortly after the horrific incident, President Trump issued a “warning” statement to his supporters to let them know they were safe.
“I heard gunshots near me but before the rumors get out of control I want you to hear this first: I am safe and well!,” he wrote on Sunday.
Trump spokesman Steven Chang added: “President Trump is safe despite gunfire nearby. No further details are available at this time.”
We bring you the latest on the thwarted assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Florida.
The suspect was arrested by local police shortly thereafter in Palm City, approximately 41 miles north on FL-714 off I-95.
Fox News host Sean Hannity said he spoke to Trump several times after the incident, and once it was clear everyone was safe, Trump said, “Oh man, I just wanted to get that hole done! I was even and had a birdie putt.”
The assassination attempt came nearly two months after suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks shot and injured Trump in the ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Crooks fired at Trump, killing a member of the crowd.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) praised the former president’s fortitude, saying it took him X minutes to get through the shooting.
“I just spoke with President Trump. He is one of the strongest people I know. He is in high spirits and more determined than ever to save our country,” Graham said.
The West Palm Beach course is about five miles inland from Mar-a-Lago, which Trump has dubbed his “Winter White House.”
The Secret Service, which came under widespread criticism after the assassination attempt on Trump in July, wrote to X that it was investigating a “security incident” involving the former president.
The department said it is working with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office on the investigation.
Initial reports suggested two people were firing guns at each other, but investigators now believe a Secret Service agent was the sole shooter, the people said.
The suspect’s motive is still unknown. He was arrested by Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies.
President Biden issued a statement hours after the incident.
“The suspect is in custody, and I commend the Secret Service and our law enforcement partners for their vigilance and efforts to keep the former president and those around him safe,” Biden said.
“I have directed my team to ensure that the Secret Service continues to have all the resources, capabilities and safeguards necessary to ensure the ongoing safety of the former president.”
Additional reporting by Caitlin Doornbos and Catherine Donlevy