Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in former President Donald Trump’s second foiled assassination attempt, was photographed smirking in the booking photo released by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. Routh, 58, was listed as married and an atheist in the religion category of his arrest records, obtained by Fox News Digital. His wife was listed as his emergency contact. Another section of the arrest records notes that Routh was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the incident. Routh was arrested Sunday after authorities spotted a gun poking out of the shrubbery on the golf course where Trump was playing that afternoon. Routh allegedly camped outside the golf course with food and a rifle for nearly 12 hours, records revealed.
Routh did not fire any shots, never had Trump in his line of sight and sped away after the agent who spotted him fired in his direction, officials said. Police were able to quickly obtain descriptions of both the suspect and his vehicle with the help of an eyewitness, authorities said, and he was arrested in a neighboring county. Routh has been charged federally with possessing a gun with a scratched-out number and with possessing a gun illegally as a felon, though more serious charges are likely pending. He is due back in court later this month, and charges could include aggravated assault for allegedly pointing the rifle at a Secret Service agent and making threats against a former president, State Attorney Dave Aronberg previously told Fox News Digital.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a press conference Tuesday that Florida will pursue more charges against Routh and that his offense should merit life in prison. Routh, whose offense also violated a federal law against possessing firearms with obliterated serial numbers, could face additional charges from the U.S. Attorney General’s Office. Trump’s first assassination attempt occurred in November 2021, when armed man Alexander S. Langley drove more than 3,000 miles from his home in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to the former president’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach in what experts described as a “dry run.”
Langley, 31, managed to pass through initial security checkpoints on Mar-a-Lago’s grounds, drive up to the property’s main building and claim he had a meeting with Trump. He was detained at gunpoint after drawing a concealed handgun. Langley was convicted in December of charges related to the incident but acquitted on a charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime. Routh’s arrest came just a few months after Trump and the Secret Service faced backlash over the incident, with experts criticizing their handling of the situation. Trump was playing golf when the incident occurred, and his round was never interrupted.
The incident also put the Secret Service under scrutiny again after a series of embarrassing breaches during the Obama administration and a mass exodus of agency personnel under Trump. The agency falls under the Department of Homeland Security and protects the president and other high-ranking officials. The incident led to renewed calls to beef up security around Trump and other former presidents who continue to receive protection. The fallout from the incident has also distracted from other issues in Trump’s post-presidency, including his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him and that he will run again in 2024.
