Police analyzing movements, DNA of Trump assassination attempt suspect: Live updates
An apparent assassination attempt targeting former President Donald Trump at his Florida golf course was fueling an intensive investigation Monday into how an armed threat could once again reach within a few hundred yards of Trump, two months after he was nearly killed at an event in Pennsylvania.
Suspect Ryan Routh, who appeared in federal court Monday, never fired a shot, authorities said. He was being held on charges of possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Trump was at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on Sunday afternoon when Secret Service agents walking the course ahead of him spotted a gun barrel in bushes. When they opened fire, the suspect fled in a black Nissan SUV, leaving behind a loaded, SKS-style assault rifle, a backpack, two bags, a digital camera and some food, according to the criminal complaint.
Routh, 58, was detained a short time later, and a witness who saw the suspect fleeing the golf course identified Routh, the complaint says. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said Routh had been about 300-500 yards from Trump and that Routh's rifle and scope put him within range.
Trump thanked the Secret Service and local authorities for their efforts. But he said President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris motivated the incident.
"He (Routh) believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it," Trump said in an interview with Fox News Digital. "Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at."
It was the second assassination attempt he has survived. In July, Trump's ear was grazed when a gunman opened fire at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Developments:
? Martin County Sheriff's Office released body cam video showing Routh being taken into custody.
? A detention hearing has been scheduled for Routh on Sept. 23 and an arraignment for Sept. 30.
? President Joe Biden said Monday that the Secret Service needed more resources, and he encouraged Congress to provide them. “One thing I want to make clear (is) the Service needs more help. I think Congress should respond to their needs," Biden told reporters as he left the White House.
Trump: 'Perhaps it's God'
In an interview on the social media site X, Trump offered a possible spiritual reason for surviving two assassination attempts in two months.
"There's something going on," he said. "I mean, perhaps it's God wanting me to be president to save this country. Nobody knows."
The former president also continued to blame the anti-Trump "rhetoric" of Harris and Biden during the X Spaces program devoted mostly to the launch of a new cryptocurrency project to be led by his two eldest sons.
- David Jackson
Routh owned a small business, collaborated with local government in Hawaii
Routh moved to Hawaii in 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile. He registered his company, Camp Box Honolulu, which specializes in building small storage structures, as a Hawaii business in January 2019, according to state records. However, the business registration expired this past January.
In 2019, Routh was featured in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, where he pledged to build tiny homes for the homeless in East Oahu. This initiative was part of Hawaii's Kauhale program, a collaborative effort between the state government and HomeAid Hawaii, a non-profit focused on developing housing solutions for individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
According to organization Executive Director Kim Carvalho, the nonprofit did not use Routh's services after 2020.
"Ryan Routh volunteered with HomeAid Hawaii from 2018 to 2020, offering his company’s services in roofing and flooring for tiny home construction,” Carvalho said in a written statement. “He was not compensated, and no complaints were recorded during his time with us under HomeAid Hawaii's previous leadership."
Yesterday, investigators visited Routh's Kaaawa home, which is listed as his business address. Public records indicate that the home is owned by a woman who has previously shared addresses with Routh.
– Jeremy Yurow
Biden shares ‘cordial’ call with Trump
Biden spoke with Trump on Monday evening and the president expressed his relief that the former president is safe, the White House said.
The White House said the two shared a “cordial conversation” and Trump thanked Biden for the call.
Biden initially did not get Trump on the phone, the president told reporters when heading back to the White House after a trip to Philadelphia, according to the pool. Biden earlier on Monday told reporters “Thank God the president is OK.”
– Rebecca Morin
Golf excursion was not on Trump's schedule
Trump's Sunday afternoon golfing excursion wasn't on his official schedule, according to Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr., who said he doesn't currently know if Routh knew Trump would be there.
"This was an off-the-record movement," Rowe said at a Monday news conference. "So there was no posting up of it because he wasn't supposed to have gone there in the first place."
Rowe added that the investigation is active.
– Aysha Bagchi
Routh 'did not have line of sight to the former president': Secret Service
Routh "did not have line of sight to the former president" at the time he was shot at and fled the scene, according to Rowe, who spoke at a news conference on the investigation into the apparent assassination attempt against Trump.
Rowe said Routh was on the public side of a fence near the sixth green of the golf course as Trump was moving through the fifth fairway, "across the course and out of sight of the sixth green."
A secret service agent who was visually sweeping the area saw Routh "armed with what he perceived to be a rifle, and immediately discharged his firearm," according to Rowe. Routh then fled the scene, without firing any gunshots himself, and Trump was immediately evacuated to a safe location.
"The agent's hypervigilance and the detailed swift action was textbook," Rowe said.
– Aysha Bagchi
Secret Service chief praises agents' quick response but acknowledges need for more resources
Rowe praised his agents Monday for thwarting what authorities say was a second assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump and dismissed questions about whether they could have done more to stop a gunman who was allegedly lying in wait for Trump for more than 12 hours.
But Rowe, who flew from Washington to Florida to visit the golf course where his agents opened fire on the suspect, acknowledged that the protective agency needs more resources in the current hyperpolitical threat environment.
He praised local authorities for capturing the suspected gunman, Routh, after he allegedly fled from his hiding place in the bushes at the edge of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
“But what was critical to this was the quick reaction, the response, the hyper vigilance of the men and women of the United States Secret Service, who since July 13th have been rising to meet an unprecedented and hyperdynamic threat environment,” Rowe said at an afternoon news conference.
Rowe later said that he has been talking to Congress about the need for more resources to meet the threat posed by the current presidential race between Trump and Harris – and several dozen other protectees that it is responsible for safeguarding.
“What I can tell you is that we have immediate needs right now, and we have great support, not only from President Biden” but also members of Congress about increasing funding for an agency has “done more with less for decades,” Rowe said.
– Josh Meyer
Routh wanted to recruit Afghan soldiers to fight for Ukraine: FBI
Routh wanted to recruit Afghan soldiers as well as others to fight for Ukraine, said FBI special agent Jeffrey B. Veltri at a Monday news conference.
Investigators are combing through Routh's online presence, including his search history, as they seek to uncover more about his possible motive and planning, according to Veltri. They have reached out to companies to get access to Routh's phone and social media accounts.
– Aysha Bagchi
FBI analyzing Routh's rifle, electronics, DNA
Veltri said the bureau's headquarters and Quantico lab are analyzing various pieces of evidence collected through the investigation, including the rifle, scope, bags, electronics, and ceramic tiles that were collected from the scene.
Law enforcement has also collected DNA from the obtained items that is being sent to the Quantico lab for testing, and it plans to examine Routh's car, Veltri said.
The FBI is also planning to compile Routh's movements in the days and months leading up to the apparent planned attack, according to Veltri, who confirmed Routh was in the vicinity of the golf course for about 12 hours before the Secret Service engaged with him.
– Aysha Bagchi
Routh invoked right to lawyer, but family is being interviewed: FBI
FBI agents attempted to interview Routh, but he invoked his constitutional right to a lawyer, according to Veltri, who provided an update at a news conference. Law enforcement has interviewed seven witnesses from the scene of the apparent assassination attempt on Trump, Veltri said.
FBI field offices in Honolulu, Hawaii and Charlotte, North Carolina have also started interviewing Routh's family members, friends, and former colleagues, Veltri said.
– Aysha Bagchi
Mar-a-Lago security level 'highest it can possibly be'
Speaking at an afternoon news conference, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the security level at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club "is the highest it can possibly be."
Bradshaw said road closures and checkpoints are in place, and his office would provide the Secret Service with "every possible resource" it needs.
Bradshaw said he spoke to Trump last night and Trump feels safe.
"That's important because he is, and what we did yesterday proves that the system can work," Bradshaw said.
– Aysha Bagchi
Law enforcement news conference to livestream
Federal and local law enforcement plan to hold a joint news conference at 4 p.m. edt Monday to provide updates on the investigation into the apparent assassination attempt, according to the Justice Department.
Read more and watch live here.
– Aysha Bagchi
Trump to go on X spaces
Donald Trump will presumably discuss the attempted assassination Monday night on X, the Elon Musk-owned social media platform. "Join me live from Mar-A-Lago at 8:00PM Eastern, tonight on X Spaces," Trump said on the website. "Set a reminder and be sure to tune in!" No word on whether Musk will join Trump, as he did for a glitch-filled interview in August.
– David Jackson
Secret Service chief lands in Florida as questions swirl
Rowe landed in Florida Monday amid questions about how a convicted criminal allegedly pointing an assault-style rifle was able to get within 500 yards of former President Donald Trump before being fired upon by Secret Service agents the day before.
Rowe was meeting with local and federal law enforcement officials and doing a walkthrough of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, a Secret Service spokesman said.
The Secret Service official declined to provide more details about Rowe’s visit, including whether he is in town to oversee an investigation into the agency’s handling of the incident.
But his trip comes as Democrats and Republicans in Washington called for a probe ? even as the Secret Service is still facing criticism for its handling of the shooting at a Trump Pennsylvania campaign rally in July that killed one attendee and injured two others.
The Secret Service was initially praised Sunday for its quick response to the shooting. In a post on his TruthSocial social media platform, Trump thanked the agency and local law enforcement “for the incredible job done today at Trump International in keeping me … SAFE.”
But some former Secret Service officials questioned whether more resources, including aerial surveillance drones, could have detected the gunman earlier. And an FBI affidavit released Monday alleged that based on cellphone records, Routh’s mobile phone was at the golf course location for nearly 12 hours, starting at 1:59 a.m.
-Josh Meyer
Merrick Garland pledges to 'work tirelessly to ensure accountability'
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland pledged in a statement Monday that the Justice Department "will work tirelessly to ensure accountability" and "will bring every available resource to bear" as it investigates the apparent assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
Garland released the statement soon after federal officials' criminal complaint against Routh was made public. Routh is charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and with possessing a firearm that has an obliterated serial number.
The entire Justice Department – including the FBI, the National Security Division, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida – is working closely with law enforcement partners who are on the ground, Garland said.
– Aysha Bagchi
Suspect Ryan Routh fired no shots
David Aronberg, the state attorney for Palm Beach County, confirmed to USA TODAY that Routh did not fire any shots while perched just outside the Trump International Golf Course. No shell casings were found at the site, he said. Prosecutors in his office were developing a motion for pretrial detention with no bail until federal officials informed him they would be taking over the case, Aronberg said.
“We deemed him as a threat to the community,” he said. “We did not want him to slip away.”
Aronberg said his office was more concerned about Routh being a danger to the community than a flight risk. “He had an AK-47 style rifle and the allegation was he was pointing it at a law enforcement officer,” he said.
? Rick Jervis
Video of Routh arrest released
When Routh was pulled over by local law enforcement at about 2:14 p.m. Sunday, he was asked whether he knew why he was being stopped and he responded that he did, according to FBI special agent Mark Thomas, who signed an affidavit in support of the criminal complaint against Routh. Video of the stop can be seen here.
The license plate on the Nissan was registered to a 2012 white Ford truck that had been reported stolen, according to Thomas. A witness who reportedly saw Routh speed off from the Trump golf club area was brought to the scene where Routh was captured and identified him.
Routh's cellphone records indicate he was in the vicinity of the golf course tree line for almost 12 hours Sunday ? from 1:59 a.m. until approximately 1:31 p.m.
– Aysha Bagchi
Hours after incident, Trump lobbies donors
Donald Trump has sent another aggressive fund-raising solicitation based on this second assassination attempt, urging supporters to "fight" on his behalf.
"There are people in this world who will do whatever it takes to stop us," Trump said after assuring donors that "I am safe and well, and no one was hurt. Thank God!"
"I will not stop fighting for you," Trump said. "I will Never Surrender!"
Trump posted the fundraising pitch on his Truth Social account with the headline "Fight, Fight, Fight!!!!!" Those were the words he used right after the first assassination attempt in July.
? David Jackson
Routh spent itme in Ukraine, wrote book
In a 291-page self-published book Routh produced in February 2023 on Amazon, titled “Ukraine's Unwinnable War,” Routh unspooled pages of discontent over America’s involvement – or lack thereof – in the Russian-Ukrainian war, as well as urging more military intervention in Taiwan, North Korea and other places. In the book, available only in Kindle version for $2.99, he wrote about traveling to Ukraine in 2022 and how the Ukrainian government refused to let him fight. Instead, according to his account, he set up a protest booth in Kyiv and tried to recruit volunteers to the frontlines.
“It is insanity for many great nations to sit on vast militaries and do nothing as people are killed in countless countries around the globe,” Routh wrote.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Routh's links to Ukraine showed that "playing with fire" had consequences, a reference to U.S. support for Ukraine since Russia's invasion.
Routh only makes a few passing references to Trump in the book, criticizing his role in the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol or praising him for trying to spark a relationship with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un. But he harshly criticizes the former president for dismantling the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, taking partial blame for Trump's 2016 election.
Speaking to Iran's leader, he writes, "You are free to assassinate Trump as well as me for that error in judgement and the dismantling of the deal."
?Rick Jervis
Routh was 'relaxed' when pulled over, taken into custody
The vehicle Routh was driving was stopped minutes after the incident. Martin County Sheriff William Snyder told CNN Routh was so calm it was “perplexing."
“His facial affect was so flat. His demeanor was relaxed,” Snyder said. “I honestly thought it looked like somebody that had just left the church picnic and was on his way home.”
He was arrested amid a phalanx of law enforcement, including a SWAT team and helicopter. Interstate 95 was briefly shut down, and a bomb dog was brought in. Amid the commotion, Routh said little and never asked why he was pulled over, Snyder said.
“He was just calm, really, as if he was going for dinner,” the sheriff said.
Trump: ‘It was certainly an interesting day!’
The former president’s first public comment on the incident came in an 11:36 p.m. Truth Social post thanking supporters and praising the Secret Service and law enforcement.
“I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes - It was certainly an interesting day!” He added: “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. THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!”
Sunday's incident comes as the political atmosphere grows more divisive ahead of the November election. Earlier Sunday, Trump posted "I hate Taylor Swift" on his Truth Social platform. And running mate Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, doubled down on a controversial statements about immigrants, saying he had "no regrets" for propagating fake stories about Haitians that led to multiple threats against them in the town of Springfield, Ohio
? David Jackson
What we know about Ryan Routh
Routh was arrested Sunday and had his first court appearance Monday. He appears to be an impassioned supporter of Ukraine in its fight against a Russian invasion and also appeared to have an extensive history of business troubles and court filings.
Routh's social media posts and media interviews form the picture of an impulsive person who said he was willing to risk his life for his ideals – and who made claims that sometimes tested credulity. Besides being a builder and entrepreneur, Routh had told several major media outlets that he worked to recruit soldiers to foreign wars he believed in. A New York Times story in March 2023 that described Routh as a "former construction worker from Greensboro, N.C." said Routh was recruiting Afghan soldiers ? who had fled the Taliban ? to fight in Ukraine.
On a phone number associated with Routh, the voicemail greeting as of Sunday identified the number's owner as "Ryan in Hawaii," working with the "National Volunteer Center, sending soldiers to Ukraine, as well as Taiwan." He urged callers to send him a message through WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram or Facebook. Phone calls placed to him were not returned Sunday. Read more here.
? Rick Jervis and Will Carless
House panel to set hearing on latest assassination attempt
Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., chair and ranking member of the task force created to investigate the July assassination attempt on Trump's life, said in a joint statement they have requested a briefing with the Secret Service "about what happened and how security responded" to Sunday's incident.
"We are thankful that the former president was not harmed, but remain deeply concerned about political violence and condemn it in all of its forms," they said. "The Task Force will share updates as we learn more."
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on X that he and his wife spent a few hours with Trump at Mar-a-Lago following the apparent assassination attempt. "No leader in American history has endured more attacks and remained so strong and resilient," he said. "He is unstoppable." Read more here.
? Riley Beggin
Ukraine's Zelenskyy sends best wishes to Trump
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced political violence and sent his best wishes to Trump following a second assassination attempt on the former president. Zelenskyy's comments come as suspect Routh has been identified as an outspoken supporter of Ukraine in its war with Russia.
In a post on social media site X early Monday, Zelenskyy said: "I am glad that (Donald Trump) is safe and unharmed. My best wishes to him and his family." Read more here.
? Eric Lagatta
How did the assassination attempt happen?
Asked by reporters how this incident could have happened given the previous attempt on Trump's life, Bradshaw described the golf course as being "surrounded by shrubbery" with a limited perimeter.
“When somebody gets into the shrubbery, they're pretty much out of sight," he said.
Because Trump is not a sitting president, Bradshaw said, "security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible," but that will likely change in the future.
"I would imagine the next time he comes at a golf course, there'll probably be a little bit more people around the perimeter, but the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done," Bradshaw said. "They provided exactly what the protection should have been, and their agent did a fantastic job."
– Phillip Bailey
Secret Service challenged by outdoor events
The Secret Service had an elevated presence around Trump when he was golfing on Sunday and thwarted the alleged assassination attempt after an agent in front of him spotted a rifle through the shrubbery. Experts say agents in West Palm Beach appeared to have handled the situation properly two months after the Secret Service was heavily criticized following an assassination attempt at an outdoor rally in July, when a gunman with an AR-style rifle shot at the GOP nominee from about 150 yards away.
But the recent incident at one of Trump's golf clubs in Florida underscores the challenges in protecting a presidential candidate who likes to keep a high public profile – including hitting the links and holding outdoor rallies, those experts told USA TODAY. Read more here.
Biden commends Secret Service
Biden said "there is no place for political violence" following Sunday's incident vowing to make sure the Secret Service has "every resource" for Trump's safety. Biden, in a written statement Sunday evening, said his team has briefed him on what the FBI is investigating as an apparent assassination attempt against Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
Biden commended the work of the Secret Service and its law enforcement partners "for their vigilance and their efforts to keep the former president and those around him safe."
"I am relieved that the former president is unharmed," Biden said. "There is an active investigation into this incident as law enforcement gathers more details about what happened. As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country."
First assassination attempt ended in death for shooter
The first attempt on Trump's life took pace July 13. A lone gunman, identified as Thomas Crooks, 20, opened fire at a crowded rally in Western Pennsylvania. A bullet grazed Trump's ear and he was rushed off stage by U.S. Secret Service after at least six shots rang out. One spectator was killed and two others were critically wounded. Crooks, perched on the roof of an adjoining warehouse, was killed by a Secret Service sniper returning fire.
The incident drew a firestorm of criticism and questions, including how Crooks managed to get within about 150 yards of Trump despite Secret Service protection. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned 10 days after the shooting.
Contributing: Joey Garrison and Bart Jansen
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump assassination attempt live updates: Suspect being investigated
