Attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Florida: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Arrest of Ryan Wesley Routh.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Routh being detained after the incident]]

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Shortly after the incident, authorities identified the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58-year-old Hawaii resident who lived for most of his life in [[Greensboro, North Carolina]].<ref name=”nytsept15u”>{{Cite web |last1=Goldman |first1=Adam |last2=Gibbons-Neff |first2=Thomas |last3=Thrush |first3=Glenn |last4=Rahim |first4=Najim |date=September 15, 2024 |title=Suspected Gunman Said He Was Willing to Fight and Die in Ukraine |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/15/us/politics/trump-shooting-suspect-routh.html |access-date=September 16, 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916044405/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/15/us/politics/trump-shooting-suspect-routh.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In the early 1990’s Routh briefly owned a roofing company in Greensboro.<ref name=”tinacooper”/>

Routh had a history of political activity online and offline, with his political engagement dating back to at least 1989.<ref name=”nytcauses” /> Voting records showed that he did not vote in the [[2016 United States elections|2016 elections]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 16, 2024 |title=Contrary To Online Claims, Trump Suspect Is Registered Independent Voters |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/contrary-to-online-claims-trump-suspect-is-registered-independent-voter-200019a6 |access-date=September 23, 2024 |website=[[Barron’s]] |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |archive-date=September 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240918094902/https://www.barrons.com/news/contrary-to-online-claims-trump-suspect-is-registered-independent-voter-200019a6 |url-status=live}}</ref> but in a 2020 [[Twitter]] post, he claimed to have voted for Trump in 2016 and later regretted it.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Mikkelsen |first1=Emily |last2=Skipper |first2=Elijah |last3=Melrose |first3=Justyn |date=September 15, 2024 |title=Greensboro neighbor describes man accused of attempting Trump assassination, says ‘a lot of people were afraid of him’ |url=https://myfox8.com/news/north-carolina/greensboro/trump-shooting-attempt-suspect-had-lengthy-criminal-history-in-north-carolina-records-show/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 15, 2024 |work=Fox 8 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240917012254/https://myfox8.com/news/north-carolina/greensboro/trump-shooting-attempt-suspect-had-lengthy-criminal-history-in-north-carolina-records-show/ |archive-date=September 17, 2024}}</ref> In a self-published [[ebook]] in 2023, he wrote about his supposed previous support for Trump, saying, “I am man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake.”<ref name=”timesept16″>{{Cite magazine |last=De Guzman |first=Chad |date=September 16, 2024 |title=What We Know—and Don’t Know—So Far About the Trump Golf Course Shooter |url=https://time.com/7021494/ryan-wesley-routh-trump-golf-course-shooter-politics-iran-ukraine/ |access-date=September 16, 2024 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |language=en |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916162858/https://time.com/7021494/ryan-wesley-routh-trump-golf-course-shooter-politics-iran-ukraine/ |url-status=live}}</ref> He reached out to [[Iran]] in his book, saying they should feel free to assassinate Trump for the United States [[United States withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action|withdrawal from]] the [[Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]], as well as Routh himself for supporting Trump in the past.<ref name=”timesept16″ /><ref name=”APbook”>{{Cite news |date=September 16, 2024 |first1=Michael |last1=Biesecker |first2=Audrey |last2=McAvoy |first3=Bernard |last3=Condon |first4=Michael R. |last4=Sisak |title=Man who appeared intent on killing Trump wrote a book urging Iran to assassinate the ex-president |url=https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-suspect-ukraine-f76ed09f256f6bd21727a10901d92af7 |work=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=September 17, 2024 |archive-date=September 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240917000731/https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-suspect-ukraine-f76ed09f256f6bd21727a10901d92af7 |url-status=live}}</ref> Routh condemned the [[January 6 Capitol attack]] as being “perpetrated by Donald Trump and his undemocratic posse”.<ref name=”nytcauses”>{{Cite news |date=September 16, 2024 |title=Suspect in Apparent Trump Assassination Plot Crusaded for Many Causes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/16/us/trump-suspect-golf-course-routh.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=September 17, 2024 |first1=Patricia |last1=Mazzei |first2=Thomas |last2=Gibbons-Neff |first3=Eduardo |last3=Medina |first4=Glenn |last4=Thrush |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916234140/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/16/us/trump-suspect-golf-course-routh.html/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Foiled assassination plot in Florida, U.S.

On September 15, 2024, Donald Trump, then a former president of the United States and nominee of the Republican Party in the 2024 presidential election, was the target of an assassination attempt while Trump was golfing at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The perpetrator, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, was spotted hiding in nearby shrubbery while aiming a rifle at a member of Trump’s security detail.^[4] A Secret Service agent fired upon Routh, who fled the scene and was later captured in Martin County.^[5] No injuries were reported.

The incident occurred two months after Trump survived a previous assassination attempt while speaking at a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania.^[6]^[7]^[8] Routh was indicted on five federal charges on September 24, including attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate. Routh was later additionally indicted on three other charges including attempted felony murder, a state charge.^[3] Routh pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Routh’s trial began on September 8, 2025.^[9] Routh filed a motion to represent himself at trial, which was granted. Two weeks later on September 23, Routh was found guilty on all federal counts,^[10] where he then grabbed a pen and attempted to stab himself in the neck, before being tackled by U.S. marshals.^[11] Routh faces life in prison, and his sentencing is scheduled for December 18, 2025.^[10]

The Trump International Golf Club had been noted as a potential target for attempts on Trump’s life.^[12] Officials told Trump that if photographers could get a clear view of him, potential gunmen could do the same. The incident occurred 64 days after a previous assassination attempt on Trump at a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, in which he was shot and wounded in his upper right ear by a 20-year-old sniper, Thomas Matthew Crooks.^[13] Law enforcement officials said that the golf course’s perimeter was not fully secured as Trump was not an incumbent president.^[14] The Secret Service did not search the perimeter of the golf course, as Trump’s visit there was not a scheduled event.^[15]

On September 12, Trump posted on X (formerly Twitter) about a planned event at his golf club on September 16 to introduce the crypto platform World Liberty Financial.^[16]

On September 15, 2024, Trump was golfing at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach with his friend and donor Steve Witkoff.^[17] Trump was walking along the fifth hole when Robert Fercano, a Secret Service agent, conducted a sweep of the sixth hole ahead of him for any threats. During the sweep, Routh was seen aiming a rifle at Fercano while hiding in shrubs approximately 400 yards (370 m) away.^[18] The position in which Routh had been is well-known as a spot frequently used by paparazzi to photograph Trump at his golf course.^[19] At 1:31 p.m. EDT^[20] (approximately 12 hours after Routh’s 1:59 a.m. arrival),^[21]^[22] Fercano, having seen the rifle barrel move,^[4] fired at Routh, who dropped his weapon and fled in a vehicle.^[23] After the shot was fired, Trump was escorted off the course by his Secret Service protective detail.^[22] Routh did not have a clear line of sight on Trump and did not fire his gun.^[18]^[24] A witness, who was driving to a nearby furniture store at the time of the incident, saw him running out of the woods and into a black car. He quickly took photos and videos of the suspect’s vehicle, assisting authorities in tracking it down.^[25] The golf course was locked down shortly after the incident,^[7] and no injuries were reported.^[26]^[27]

After Routh fled the scene, a “be on the lookout” was issued to law enforcement with details about the suspect’s car, a black Nissan Xterra SUV. At 2:22 p.m, after pulling over the vehicle on Interstate 95 in Martin County, Martin County Sheriff’s Office deputies Nicholas Shaw and Gedeon Brenovil forced Routh out of the car and arrested him at gunpoint.^[28]^[29] According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Routh was detained as a person of interest while he was driving northbound on Interstate 95 from Palm Beach County.^[30] The sheriff’s units “waited [for] a while” to stop the vehicle to avoid engaging in a high-speed chase. Seventeen cell-phones were found inside Routh’s vehicle.^[31] An SKS-style rifle with a removed serial number, a scope, two backpacks containing ceramic tiles that could deflect a bullet, a plastic bag containing food, and a GoPro camera, were recovered at the scene.^[18]^[22]^[32] Routh was unarmed at the time of his arrest.^[33]

After Routh’s arrest, Donald Trump contacted the Martin County Sheriff’s Office and requested that those involved in Routh’s apprehension join him at Mar-a-Lago so he could personally thank them for their work. Each deputy signed a pair of black handcuffs and gave them to Trump. Lieutenant Travis Dykes stated that there could have been a potential disaster if the police department didn’t work together as a group. Sheriff William Snyder told WPTV that he “could not be more proud of his crew”.^[28]

Shortly after the incident, authorities identified the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58-year-old Hawaii resident who lived for most of his life in Greensboro, North Carolina.^[34] In the early 1990’s, Routh briefly owned a roofing company in Greensboro.^[35]^[36]

Routh had a history of political activity online and offline, with his political engagement dating back to at least 1989.^[37] Voting records showed that he did not vote in the 2016 elections,^[38] but in a 2020 Twitter post, he claimed to have voted for Trump in 2016 and later regretted it.^[39] In a self-published ebook in 2023, he wrote about his supposed previous support for Trump, saying, “I am man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake.”^[40] He reached out to Iran in his book, saying they should feel free to assassinate Trump for the United States withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as well as Routh himself for supporting Trump in the past.^[40]^[41] Routh condemned the January 6 Capitol attack as being “perpetrated by Donald Trump and his undemocratic posse”.^[37]

After his disillusionment with Trump, Routh announced his support for various presidential opponents of Trump, including both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates.^[42]^[40] Additionally, Routh donated $140 to Democratic causes since 2019. He registered in North Carolina as an independent voter in 2012.^[42]^[40] He voted in North Carolina’s Democratic primary elections in 2024.^[37]

Routh had multiple prior criminal charges, including a 2002 conviction for “possessing a weapon of mass death and destruction” after barricading himself in a building with a fully automatic weapon. As part of a plea deal, he agreed to undergo a mental health evaluation and accept recommended treatments. He had over one hundred criminal counts filed against him in North Carolina, which included driving violations and possession of stolen items. Routh typically received parole or probation for his offenses, with no record of time that he was in prison.^[37]^[43]^[41]

Routh and his son, Oran Alexander Routh, had had a falling out and had not talked prior to the assassination attempt, although following the attempt Oran said that his father was “a loving and caring father, and honest, hardworking man” and that “it doesn’t sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent”.^[44]

Claimed activities related to the Russo-Ukrainian War

[edit]

Routh claimed on his social media accounts, as well as in 2022 interviews with The New York Times, Newsweek Romania, and Der Tagesspiegel to have made efforts to recruit foreign soldiers for Ukraine in its war against Russia.^[45]^[46] Newsweek reported Routh had claimed to have fought in Ukraine, while he told The New York Times he did not fight in Ukraine.^[47] 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.^[48] Routh complained of roadblocks to Ukraine admitting foreign fighters, telling the publication Semafor that “Ukraine is very often hard to work with, they’re afraid that anybody and everybody is a Russian spy”.^[49]^[50] Routh was filmed at an April 2022 protest in Independence Square in Kyiv.^[51]

A former volunteer for Ukraine’s International Legion, Evelyn Aschenbrenner, branded 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 [he was] 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.”^[52]^[53]^[54]

Chelsea Walsh, a travel nurse who had met Routh in Ukraine, viewed Routh as “a threat to others” and a “ticking time bomb”, and warned a Homeland Security agent upon her return from Ukraine. She claimed that Routh decided to dedicate his life to protecting Ukraine upon first hearing about the war in 2022, and that he would become “vengeful” and “angry” if he did not get his way. Sometime in 2023, Walsh ultimately reported Routh to the FBI for his behavior.^[55] Routh had also claimed to her to have organized a protest outside President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s home and was jailed for it, although this was not confirmed.^[56] Walsh repeated her concerns to both the FBI and Interpol.^[57]

After being arrested as the potential suspect, Routh was charged with two offenses: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with the serial number removed.^[58] Less than a day after the arrest, he was seen smiling and laughing with his lawyer.^[59] Footage of his arrest was released to the public.^[60] Routh was charged on September 24 with attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate, as well as assaulting a federal officer and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.^[61] On December 18, Routh was additionally charged with attempted felony murder after it was discovered that the traffic closure caused during Routh’s initial arrest led to a traffic crash that injured a 6-year-old girl who was traveling with her family.^[62]

Samuel and Lazaro Plata, two brothers who were friends with Routh,^[63] contacted law enforcement on September 18, stating that Routh had dropped off a box containing a 12-page letter at their house several months before the incident. The two opened the box after the incident.^[4] Improvised destructive device components, burner cellphones, and .50 caliber ammunition was recovered from the box. On September 23, 2024, the Department of Justice published the first page of the letter; it stated:^[4]^[64]^[65]

Dear World, this was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job. Everyone across the globe from the youngest to the oldest know that Trump is unfit to be anything, much less a U.S president. U.S presidents must at bare minimum embody the moral fabric that is America and be kind, caring and selfless and always stand for humanity. Trump fails to understand any of-

According to authorities, the letter indicated that Routh may have planned the assassination attempt for months, and simultaneously acknowledged months in advance that he might fail.^[66]

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation of the incident,^[18] with the United States Secret Service and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office also participating.^[67] The FBI is treating the incident as an attempted assassination.^[8]

On the day of the incident, Routh’s motive was described as unknown.^[30] Shortly after the incident, law enforcement linked the license plates for the Nissan Xterra used by Routh to a 2012 Ford truck that was reported as stolen. The witness who initially spotted the fleeing suspect identified Routh after he was taken into custody. Data from his cell phone showed that he had arrived at the golf course at 1:59 a.m., where he had waited for roughly 12 hours.^[22]

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis pledged to open a state-level investigation into the incident.^[68]

On September 12, three days before the incident, Routh exchanged messages with British-trained commandos from Afghanistan about recruitment to the Russo-Ukrainian War over the instant messaging app WhatsApp. Routh’s account on the app consisted of several discussions with special forces from Afghanistan about how to get to Ukraine to fight in the war. All of the chat logs on Routh’s account were investigated by The Independent and investigative newsroom Lighthouse Reports in November 2024.^[69]

On February 20, 2025, Routh’s defense team inspected the Trump golf course during a visit arranged by the US Justice Department. After this visit they inspected evidence from the case such as the rifle, which the Justice Department had transported to an FBI field office in Florida.^[70]

Following a court filing on March 3, defense attorney Kristy Militello requested for the rifle to be tested. Upon being questioned by Judge Cannon, Militello responded with; “The rifle is old, and we want our expert to determine if it’s operable, if it’s accurate, and what kind of distance it can reach.” Investigators did not conduct any testing of the rifle the day of the assassination attempt because no shots were fired at the scene. Judge Cannon then promised a ruling on testing the weapon.^[71]

On April 7, an indictment by federal prosecutors publicly alleged that Routh had two accomplices, who were both never identified. On the same day, prosecutors publicly revealed that they found seventeen burner cellphones in Routh’s vehicle, which he bought using the alias “John White”. Prosecutors also found several stolen licenses plates in Routh’s vehicle, one owned by his daughter, Sara Ellen Routh, to evade detection and capture while fleeing the scene of the assassination attempt. Further investigation revealed that Routh used a stolen license plate during an earlier reconnaissance.^[31]^[72] Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier charged Routh with attempted first-degree murder and terrorism.^[3]

Evidence from the assassination attempt

As part of investigations following the assassination attempt, authorities searched the Greensboro home of Ryan Routh’s son, Oran Alexander Routh.^[44] They later discovered child pornography on Oran’s electronic devices, where he was then promptly arrested.^[73]^[74] Oran pled guilty to one count of possessing child pornography involving a minor who had not yet reached 12 years of age. He then had an outburst in the court, claiming his arrest on the charges were motivated by “political persecution”.^[74] On July 25, 2025, Oran was sentenced to seven years in prison with five years of supervised probation.^[75]

The federal case was assigned to Judge Aileen Cannon, the same Trump-appointed judge who two months earlier had dismissed the federal prosecution of Trump regarding his possession of classified documents.^[76]

On September 30, 2024, Routh pleaded not guilty to all five counts brought against him in federal court.^[77]^[78] The next day, Cannon set a preliminary trial date of November 18.^[79]

On October 17, Routh’s lawyers asked Cannon to recuse herself to avoid the appearance of bias in favor of Trump.^[76] However, Cannon refused to step down.^[80] As a result, Routh’s trial date was moved to February 10, 2025.^[81]

On November 4, one day before the 2024 United States presidential election, Routh sent a letter to a local newsroom stating that if Trump wins the election, it will mark “the end of Democracy and the beginning of a Civil War” and that Trump “will not let go of the power given to him”. He also begged the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office to “help lead the country the way to Democracy.” Prosecutors noted that Routh’s handwriting of the letter matched the same handwriting as the alleged note written months prior discussing his failure to assassinate Trump, which confirmed Routh wrote the note.^[82]

After appearing in federal court for a hearing on December 11, Routh’s legal team announced they were considering giving Routh an insanity defense. Public defenders claimed Routh had met with mental health experts and jail mental health professionals at least twice, who all called him “delusional”. Prosecutors also confirmed that Routh had written up to forty letters to national news outlets to try and convince them he was innocent. The letters were intercepted before being received. Routh’s attorneys requested for the trial to be delayed until December 2025.^[83] Cannon granted the request in part, setting a new trial date of September 8, 2025.^[9]

On April 7, 2025, Routh filed an amended motion to dismiss two of the charges against him, which was ‘possession of a firearm by a felon’ and ‘possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number’. In the filing, Routh argued that the gun violations were unconstitutional and a violation of the Second Amendment, because the amendment does not regulate the ownership of guns by felons or serial numbers.^[84] The motion was rejected by the court two days later on April 9.^[85] On the same day, the eyewitness who saw Routh enter his car the day of the assassination attempt was interviewed by law enforcement under the alias “T.C.M” in court. However, the eyewitness felt pressured because of the intense atmosphere created by the presence of multiple law enforcement agencies.^[31]

On July 24, Cannon granted Routh’s motion to fire his public defenders and represent himself at trial, stating that while it was unwise, he had a constitutional right to do so. Cannon also denied his public defender’s motion to withdraw, ordering them to remain as standby counsel. The decision followed repeated breakdowns in communication between Routh and his attorneys, who claimed their relationship had become “irreconcilably broken.” When asked if he understood federal criminal court procedure, Routh said; “I have a book.”^[86] Prosecutors expressed concern that Routh may attempt to introduce inflammatory or irrelevant material in court.^[87] On the same day, Routh submitted three filings to the court, all of which were filled with sentiments and riddles with typos. In one specific filing, Routh challenged Trump to a golf match, stating if he won, he’d take Trump’s place as president, and if he lost, he could be executed. In the same filing, Routh called Trump’s vice president JD Vance a “hillbilly”.^[88]

On September 2, the trial’s final pre-trial hearing was held. The hearing was met with much drama as Routh clashed with the prosecution over his trial attire, which included banned slogan shirts. Judge Cannon had to specifically instruct Routh to dress appropriately for the court. Routh also filed a motion to add ten new witnesses, including academics and even a former girlfriend of his. Judge Cannon denied the motion, calling it “absurd.” Routh’s attempts to introduce personal letters as evidence were also dismissed.^[89]

Routh’s trial began on September 8, 2025,^[9] and his jury was selected the following day.^[90] On September 11, Routh delivered an opening argument that began with a series of tangential historical references unrelated to his case, which lasted five minutes before Judge Cannon stopped him.^[91] On September 15, the FBI analyzed the fingerprints found on the SKS semi-automatic 7.62×39 caliber rifle that Routh left behind at the scene of the assassination attempt, and confirmed that it matched his DNA.^[92] On the same day, prosecutors publicly revealed more items they found inside Routh’s vehicle, which included cartridge casings, and notes about flights to Mexico and Colombia. They described the vehicle as “unorganized,” and that there was a chance Routh had lived in it for a while.^[93]^[94]

On September 20, Routh filed a motion to the court to drop all of the charges against him, claiming that since the gun was never fired, prosecutors have “yet to prove” an assassination attempt on Trump took place. He also argued that the area outside Trump International Golf Club is a public right of way, giving anyone the right to be there with a weapon. On September 22, after a witness testimony, Routh rested his case. By that point, a total of 38 people have testified at the trial as witnesses, including Robert Fercano.^[95]

On September 23, Routh was found guilty on all federal counts. The jury deliberated for around two and a half hours.^[96] While the verdict was being read in the courtroom, Routh grabbed a black pen and repeatedly attempted to stab himself in the neck,^[97] before Marshals tackled him to the ground and picked him up, before dragging him out of the courtroom.^[98] Routh’s daughter, Sara, immediately begged her father to not hurt himself before being escorted out of the room as well.^[99] Routh returned to the courtroom soon after while handcuffed, appearing to be uninjured, with no blood visible on his white shirt and not appearing to have succeeded in harming himself.^[99]^[11]

Tina Cooper and Ronnie Oxendine

[edit]

From July to August 2024, Routh’s former employee Tina Brown Cooper and her boss Ronnie Jay Oxendine, conspired with Routh to help him illegally obtain an SKS rifle as part of his assassination plot. On August 2, Oxendine obtained the rifle and called Cooper, who was driving with her daughter, to meet Routh at a local roofing company that Oxendine founded. Routh paid Oxendine $350 in cash for the rifle and paid Cooper $100 in cash for arranging the sale. Routh removed the serial number so it couldn’t be traced soon after.^[86]

On September 19, 2024, after learning about the assassination attempt through a family member, Oxendine contacted Cooper and told her about it. Cooper then told him that she was going to delete all her text messages relating to Routh, and then instructed him to deny any knowledge and to refuse to cooperate with the FBI.^[35]

On September 22, 2024, FBI agents
interviewed Oxendine in Climax, North Carolina. Oxendine told the agents that he met Routh in the early 1990’s. Oxendine falsely told the agents that around this time, Routh had pawned an SKS rifle to him for approximately $300. After immense pressure, Oxendine later admitted that he lied that Routh pawned him a rifle in order to minimize his role in the assassination attempt.^[86]^[35]

Later that same day, agents interviewed Cooper in Greensboro, North Carolina. She told them that she met Routh in 1999 while she was an employee of his at a roofing business in Greensboro. She said she became aware of Routh’s lengthy criminal record sometime in 2002. Additionally, she admitted she was “guilty” of assisting Routh, whom she
knew was a convicted felon, in acquiring a firearm, and instructing Oxendine to refuse to cooperate with the FBI. The agents then asked Cooper if she had instructed any other person involved in the firearms transaction to lie to the FBI or mislead the FBI’s investigation. On multiple occasions, she denied this.^[86]^[35]^[36]

Alleged conspirators

[edit]

On April 7, 2025, an indictment by federal prosecutors alleged that Routh had a conversation on WhatsApp with a man from Mexico saved in his phone as “Ramiro” on February 29, 2024 about potentially smuggling an Afghanistani migrant family into the United States from Mexico. Their next alleged conversation occurred seven months later on September 12, where Routh allegedly sent a message stating that he planned on fleeing to Mexico City following the assassination attempt, with “Ramiro” responding that he would see Routh then.^[31]

Routh also allegedly sought to obtain military weapons in August 2024 as part of his assassination plot from someone he believed to be a Ukrainian. Routh allegedly told this associate through WhatsApp to send him a rocket-propelled grenade or a stinger, stating that he “needed equipment so that Trump couldn’t get elected.” Routh also allegedly discussed the idea of using a rocket launcher to shoot down Trump’s plane.^[72]

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s opponent in the 2024 presidential election, were briefed on the incident.^[26] 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.”^[30] 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.”^[7]

Shortly after the shooting, Elon Musk, executive chairman of Twitter, quote-retweeted a post on the site which asked “Why they want [sic] to kill Donald Trump?”, 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 next 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”.^[100]^[101] The Secret Service additionally opened an investigation into Musk over his remarks.^[102]^{[needs update]}

^ Tucker, Eric; Richer, Alanna Durkin; Matat, Stephany (September 23, 2024). “U.S. to seek attempted assassination charge against man accused of staking out Trump at golf course”. CTV News via Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2024. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
^ Rozsa, Lori; Berman, Mark; Stein, Perry; Barrett, Devlin (September 23, 2024). “Trump gunman said to have left note: ‘This was an assassination attempt’“. The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 23, 2024. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c Dorsainvil, Aja (April 10, 2025). “Florida is charging Ryan Routh for attempted assassination of Donald Trump, AG says says”. WPTV. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Lapointe, Markenzy (September 23, 2024). “Written Factual Proffer in Support of Pretrial Detention” (PDF). Fox News. FOX Television Stations. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 23, 2024. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
^ Devine, Curt; Chapman, Isabelle; et al. (September 16, 2024). “Man detained in apparent assassination attempt on Trump criticized former president on social media”. CNN. Archived from the original on September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
^ “Ryan Wesley Routh Indicted for Attempted Assassination of Former President Trump”. www.justice.gov. United States Department of Justice. September 24, 2024. Archived from the original on October 5, 2024. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c Holmes, Kristen; Millar, John; Sullivan, Kate; Perez, Evan; Herb, Jeremy (September 15, 2024). “Trump is safe following shooting at Florida golf course; suspect detained”. CNN. Archived from the original on September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
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