In July, an assassination attempt on Donald Trump shocked everyone. Just two months later, the Republican’s bodyguards may have foiled another attack.
First, Donald Trump’s campaign team reported shots “near” the former US president, then the FBI spoke out: The federal police believe that it was an attempted assassination of the Republican presidential candidate. The 78-year-old was unharmed in the incident at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The main suspect is 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh – he was arrested and charged. But many questions remain unanswered.
What we know:
The incident: Trump was playing golf at his club in West Palm Beach on Sunday afternoon when a Secret Service bodyguard saw a rifle barrel protruding from the bush-lined fence of the golf course. Court documents published by US media show that Routh’s cell phone had been at the crime scene for around twelve hours beforehand – and with it he himself. After discovering it, officials quickly opened fire, according to authorities. The suspect did not fire a shot, as Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told Fox News.
The escape: According to police, Routh fled in a car. However, a witness saw him and was able to help police identify the car and the man. He was arrested a short time later on a highway near the crime scene, Bradshaw said.
The crime scene: Trump’s golf club is surrounded by a fence, with meter-high bushes and trees in front of it. The police cordoned off an area directly next to a road – presumably the place where the man had positioned himself. According to the police, he left an SKS-style rifle there. The security forces also found two backpacks and a compact camera. According to Bradshaw, ceramic tiles were also found. “I think that was an attempt to give himself some kind of protective armor in case someone shot at him,” the sheriff said on Fox News.
The suspect: The main suspect, Routh, has been charged in federal court in Florida. The 58-year-old is accused of possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obscured serial number. Further charges could follow. According to US media, Routh worked as a self-employed building contractor in Hawaii.
What we don’t know:
The motive: Investigators initially made no official statements about the suspect’s motives. US media, however, report that Routh frequently made political statements on social networks and, above all, supported Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia and whose most important ally is the US government under President Joe Biden. He tried to recruit foreigners to fight in Ukraine – and wrote in one post that he was prepared to fight and die in Ukraine. It is unclear whether this had anything to do with what happened on the golf course. According to CNN, Routh also made critical comments online about Trump, who always claims that he can end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours.
The procedure: As a presidential candidate, Trump does not have a public schedule like incumbent President Biden, for example. It is therefore unclear how the suspect knew that Trump would be at his golf club that day, if he was actually targeting the politician. However, Trump often plays golf at one of his clubs on the weekend. On Sunday afternoon, he played with real estate investor and party donor Steve Witkoff. US journalists noted that it was impossible for local residents to miss Trump driving his motorcade from his Mar-a-Lago estate, just a few kilometers away, to West Palm Beach.
The danger: According to police, the suspect was only a few hundred meters away from Trump. A trained shooter with the right equipment could cause great damage from such a distance. It is unclear how a gunman was able to get so close to him again after the assassination attempt on the Republican two months ago in Pennsylvania. What is clear, however, is that a presidential candidate and former president enjoys less Secret Service protection than an incumbent president. Trump’s security team was at least reinforced after the assassination attempt.
The consequences: It is possible that Trump’s personal protection will be increased again. Biden said after the incident that the security service must be better equipped. It is difficult to estimate what the incident means for the presidential election on November 5. Trump is already trying to use the incident to mobilize his supporters. Immediately afterwards, he asked for donations. He also blamed Biden and his deputy Kamala Harris. “Bullets are flying because of this communist left wing rhetoric and it will only get worse!” he wrote on his platform Truth Social. Immediately after the incident, both Biden and Harris stressed that there was no place for violence in the USA. The election is shaping up to be a neck-and-neck race between Trump and his Democratic opponent Harris.
Note: This article has been updated
