Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump praised law enforcement for their efforts in stopping a second apparent assassination attempt against him on Sunday at his Palm Beach, Florida, golf course.
Police arrested 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh in connection with the events that reportedly included an AK-style rifle with a scope.
“I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes – It was certainly an interesting day!,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“Most importantly, I want to thank the U.S. Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his Office of brave and dedicated Patriots, and, all of Law Enforcement, for the incredible job done today at Trump International in keeping me, as the 45th President of the United States, and the Republican Nominee in the upcoming Presidential Election, SAFE,” he continued.
“THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!” Trump concluded.
Secret Service agents reportedly spotted Routh with the rifle approximately 300 to 500 yards from where Trump was golfing. Gunfire was exchanged with the shooter fleeing. He was later arrested by law enforcement.
A video later shared on Rumble shows Routh advocating in support of the Ukrainian war effort. The date of the video is not known. Routh’s X account was soon suspended after the arrest.
The New York Post reported that Routh has a lengthy criminal record in North Carolina and is originally from Hawaii. He also frequently posted about politics and donated to Democrats and Democratic causes extending back to at least 2019, according to the report.
Citing a post from X before the account was suspended, the outlet revealed that Routh criticized Trump in multiple posts, including an April 22 post on X in which he declared, “DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose.”
During a Sunday afternoon press conference, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw shared that the suspect was hiding in the bushes with the rifle, two backpacks and a GoPro camera. After the Secret Service exchanged gunfire, Routh fled in a black vehicle on I-95 toward Martin County before being apprehended.
The press conference noted that Secret Service protection was limited since Trump is not the sitting president. The FBI is leading the investigation.