Authorities charged a man on Monday with two gun-related crimes after he allegedly lay in wait for nearly 12 hours at Donald Trump’s Florida golf course in an apparent assassination attempt. The suspect, Ryan Routh, 58, was seen hiding in the bushes with a rifle as the former U.S. president played on the nearby fairway, though Trump was never in his direct line of sight, and no shots were fired.
The Secret Service spotted the barrel of a rifle emerging from the bushes, prompting agents to fire warning shots and swiftly evacuate Trump. Routh fled in a vehicle but was arrested 40 minutes later on Interstate 95. A loaded assault-style rifle, camera, and food supplies were found near the scene.
Court documents reveal that a phone linked to Routh was located at the golf course starting at 2 a.m. on Sunday, indicating he may have been waiting for over 11 hours before the incident. Routh, a convicted felon, is now charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. If convicted, more charges could follow.
The incident occurred just two months after another attempt on Trump’s life during a rally in Pennsylvania, raising concerns about Secret Service security. Trump praised his security team for their quick response but called for an increase in personnel on his detail.
While no official motive has been provided, Trump blamed inflammatory rhetoric from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the attempt. He claimed that such language had incited attacks on him, although no evidence has yet been offered to support this assertion. Both Biden and Harris condemned the incident, with Biden personally calling Trump to express his relief that the former president was unharmed.