There was another ‘attempt’ on Donald Trump’s life at his Florida golf club

Just like at this year’s Oscars, there was a major non-entertainment story breaking alongside an awards show last night. While many people were focused on the Emmys, an absolutely bonkers political story was unfolding. First of all, Sunday was an awful day for Republicans. JD Vance made an ass out of himself on the Sunday morning shows, then Donald Trump followed that up by declaring “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT” on Truth Social, his Nazi social media platform. Hours later, Secret Service agents detailed to Trump confronted a would-be assassin at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club.

The F.B.I. said it was investigating “what appears to be an attempted assassination” of former President Donald J. Trump after the Secret Service fired on an armed man at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Sunday, just over two months after he was wounded during an attempt on his life.

Mr. Trump was on the course, a few hundred yards away, when Secret Service personnel spotted a person concealed in the bushes and opened fire, law enforcement officials said at a briefing. The suspect fled the scene in a vehicle and was taken into custody during a traffic stop, and a rifle with a scope was recovered from the bushes, along with a camera and two backpacks. It was not yet clear whether the suspect had fired any shots, according to the Secret Service.

A U.S. law enforcement official identified the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing. Mr. Routh was interviewed by The New York Times in 2023 for an article about Americans volunteering to aid the war effort in Ukraine. Mr. Routh, who had no military experience, said he had traveled there after Russia’s invasion in 2022 to recruit Afghan soldiers for the fight. He told The Times he once visited Washington to meet with politicians to strengthen support for Ukraine. “I’m just a U.S. citizen that’s helping out,” he said.

[From The NY Times]

People quickly found Routh’s social media and went through all of his old Twitter posts. It was a portrait of a former MAGA Republican – he supported Trump in 2016, then he switched his allegiance to Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, and he seemingly did not want Trump to be the Republican nominee. Journalists were in the process of looking through his Twitter account when Twitter’s unhinged owner Elon Musk deleted the account. Not only that, Musk questioned why Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were not being similarly targeted. That’s the kind of question which SHOULD lead to the Secret Service crawling up Elon Musk’s ass for years. Musk ended up deleting the post… but only after millions of people saw it. Then he followed up with some “it was just jokes” tweets.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

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112 Responses to “There was another ‘attempt’ on Donald Trump’s life at his Florida golf club”

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  1. girl_ninja says:

    Another fake attempt to distract from DT’s bad debate performance and his track record on his performance as president. Mad to distract from Vance admitting that he and DT LIED ABOUT THE HAITIAN RESIDENCE OF SPRINGFIELD OHIO EATING PETS. He admitted it and Dana Bash confirmed him on it he pretended not to hear and then tried to backtrack.

    All they want to do is install DT to get Vance into the presidency and implement Project 2025. Fuck that and fuck them.

    • Brassy Rebel says:

      Kudos to Dana Bash for standing up to Vance’s bullying during that interview. He even told her to shut up. Without the “assassination attempt” story, the Vance misogyny would be the story this morning.

      • BeanieBean says:

        Oh, wow, I didn’t see that part. I could barely stomach the part of him admitting they made up the story.

    • Flowerlake says:

      I saw more people talking online about his hate for Taylor than I saw people talking about this.

    • the Robinsons says:

      They are the biggestMFers-ever! Can’t wait for thosecourttrialsto heatup after the November Election.

      • CooCooCatchoo says:

        I, too, cannot WAIT for Trump’s felony cases to fire back up. Can’t wait to see him sitting in those courtrooms, a broken old man knowing that he was beat by Kamala. They’ll be NOTHING to stem the wave of karma coming for him. And I will be laughing my ass off!

    • Debbie says:

      I’m glad I wasn’t the only person thinking of this. The moment I heard the news and of Trump’s nonchalant reaction that he had really wanted to finish the hole he was playing golf on, I knew he was too much of a coward to react this way. Then, I thought that this event coming at such an opportune time served to drive his dreadful, embarrassing debate performance off the front pages, not to mention his and Vance’s deliberate efforts to put the Haitian community in Ohio at risk of harm. It’s the sort of thing Trump and his people would do because it brings them back to a time when he was receiving more sympathetic headlines. I also hear that he was fundraising off of the gunshots too. Typical.

    • StarWonderful says:

      Exactly!

  2. Shannon says:

    Meh. Trump assassination attempts are just like school shootings – a fact of life. Why should anyone care about them when they clearly don’t care about us?

  3. Mil says:

    Musk’s response… he should be questioned. This is insane. Ex MAGAs going after their leader has nothing to do with mainly peaceful Democrats.

    • seraphina says:

      Musk needs to be sent back to SA. They can have him. As for your statement about ex MAGA’s, it interesting they turn to violence on their own leader when they realize it’s not all he says – but this is what has been sown by the far right and allowed by the GOP. Maybe they missed the Sunday sermon: you reap what you sow.

      • Gabby says:

        Musk wants to colonize Mars, so lets send him there early, by himself, one way of course. Give him a few week’s worth of oxygen, one gallon of water and let him fend for himself.

      • CurlyLeo says:

        @Seraphina: South African over here – we don’t want him back! We have enough problems as it is, dont need his brand of thinking over here… He can gladly go to Mars… 🙂

    • ML says:

      Right??! Musk has endorsed Trump, he’s seemingly looking at a governmental position for doing so, he’s spreading misinformation and far right propaganda on Twitter (and banned in Brazil), he’s used fake AI stuff to help Trump, threatened an musician with rape, and is now whining about the wrong candidates being targeted??! How on earth is this legal in the US/ how has he done all this without any real consequences??!

      • Lolo86lf says:

        For starters he owns Twitter. That’s how he can get away with posting such malicious post about Biden and Kamala, no own can kick him out Twitter.

    • Jais says:

      I’m confused. Is the fbi still able to see the shooter’s tweets? Or did musk shut it down for them too! Isn’t that hindering an investigation??

      • MaisiesMom says:

        I was wondering that too. I would think they can still access them somehow, but X/Musk will have to cooperate. And by that I mean he will HAVE to. The Feds will not give him a choice.

    • equality says:

      Exactly. It’s people who want the rep party to change direction, so they don’t have to turn to be dems. If they just change parties or vote for an independent, problem solved. It’s DT’s own fault because this is the type of thinking he has encouraged among the reps.

    • SIde Eye says:

      Time for Secret service and the FBI to knock on that door.

      This is one immigrant I’d fully support deporting.

    • Nic919 says:

      The hell Kathy Griffin went through for what was clearly something in parody meanwhile this guy is posting threats just shows how bad things will get if the Cheeto gets power.

      Even Hillary Clinton said that she had to hire lawyers because Cheeto hit her and the Clinton foundation with many frivolous lawsuits when he was president.

    • BeanieBean says:

      Yes! He should have either the Secret Service, Homeland Security, or FBI–or all three–knocking on his door.

  4. ML says:

    Trump belongs in jail, not assassinated.

    • Smegmoria says:

      Sadly, I doubt he will ever see prison.

      • Brassy Rebel says:

        We don’t want Trump dead. We want him defeated at the ballot box in November and then processed by the criminal justice system he has so little respect for.

      • ML says:

        May he be given to the sweet fulltime care of Melania and not be allowed to golf until all threats of violence have passed. I don’t want him martyred or JD Vance close to the presidency.

        Plus, as a taxpayer, does anyone here want to bequeath Trump more secret service protection so no one can murder him on a golf course?! Clearly it’s easier to protect him inside buildings than outdoors.

      • Lady D says:

        “I don’t want him martyred or JD Vance close to the presidency.” I don’t know why, but for some reason that sentence made me think of Vance attempting an assassination. He really wants the job.

      • DK says:

        @ML & @LadyD, a lot of folks think Vance is the ultimate goal in this election: Trump to get the votes, then within a month or so, install Vance, who will support Project 2025 with his whole chest.

        Some think they (“they”= Vance’s handlers, Heritage Foundation, etc.) will do this via 25th Amendment (hence letting Trump display his dementia on full blast), but many think that won’t work (too many MAGA Repubs in Congress to support it), so many others think there may well be a less-obvious assassination (i.e. undetected poisoning, etc.) – but in all cases, they assume the call will come from inside the house.

        (And still some others think it will be a more peaceful turnover – give DT a golden handshake/ton of money & pardons and he’ll exit since he doesn’t really want to be prez anyway. I think that scenario is the least likely, given DT’s love of power.)

        But yeah, while I’d be surprised if it were Vance himself (he just seems too dumb), I would not be at all surprised if his handlers weren’t involved.

        They wouldn’t want him to die before the election, because Vance can’t get the votes as head of the ticket, but if these little fake attempts were just to establish precedent and then he was violently killed post-election by Vance’s handlers, I wouldn’t be surprised (though I’d be horrified of course. I’m obviously not a Trump fan, but as emphasized above, ballot box and judicial process are the way to deal with him, definitely not the violent installation of yet another would-be dictator. And especially not one who genuinely believes in Project 2025. DT will say/support whatever he thinks will get him the biggest cheers at rallies, but Vance believes in this Gilead racist crap with his whole being.).

      • bisynaptic says:

        @DK, 🎯

    • SIde Eye says:

      Completely agree with you. No martyrdom for him.

  5. Miranda says:

    When they chose to normalize political violence on Jan. 6, and continue to make weapons of war easily accessible to the average civilian, well…you get what you get. And it says SO MUCH that neither of these incidents has resulted in even the tiniest bit of sympathy.

    • Get Real says:

      Exactly this. But gun violence is OK when it happens to cops and immigrants and school children. Disgusting.

    • Saucy&Sassy says:

      Miranda, exactly. The orange one has spent years encouraging political violence. He and the Republicans should have expected this. It seems that the people who supported him and are now figuring out what he really is are letting him know what they think.

      I want all of the current (and any future) criminal charges against him to be prosecuted in public, so that we all know exactly what he did.

    • BeanieBean says:

      No sympathy & no real investigation. Have we heard anything more about that first shooting? This second guy is alive, at least, to tell us what he was thinking. Or who paid him.

  6. Marie says:

    Right after that I hate Taylor Swift posr, the Swifties banded and opened their wallets to donate. They now have donated around 200K in total!

  7. Mina_Esq says:

    In all the news I watched yesterday, I didn’t once hear that the guy was an ex MAGA!

    At this point I’m waiting for the Republicans to escalate things and make the political climate even more dangerous. MTG kind of already has. Unbelievable.

    • Clove says:

      They had on the news last night on MSNBC that he voted for Trump in 2016. Also that he was upset that Trump did not support Ukraine. He was a Nikki Haley supporter.

    • Brassy Rebel says:

      CNN was trying to link him to Biden!

      • pottymoouth pup says:

        he supposedly did vote fro Biden in 2020 but, politically, he was all over the map. He sided with libs on Ukraine & Israel although, until Trump, the GOP would have been 100% unified with the left on Ukraine. It’s only due to Trump that the GOP is split on Ukraine. Ukraine and possibly Trump’s refusal to say how, exactly, he’d end the war in 1 day if elected/or that Russia needs to get out of Ukraine during the debate is the reason he wanted Trump assassinated.

        Routh even suggested assassination of Trump due to Ukraine in a book he self-published last year so he should have been on a watch list, especially as he was arrested twice for felony charges of possessing WMD in 2002. There’s a big part of me that thinks they knew Routh had purchased the AK-47 and let him get just close enough to stop & catch him before he did any harm on purpose. After all, it did happen on the day Vance admitted to lying (to incite violence) about Springfield Ohio, and Trump’s campaign had a fundraising email at the ready to be sent very quickly after the news hit. A passerby having the wherewithal to notice Routh getting into his car and snap a clear shot of the license plate of the car speeding away just seems too convenient

      • Brassy Rebel says:

        This reminds me of the movie, The Manchurian Candidate. Stranger things have happened this year.

    • Ponchorella says:

      Daily Fail is totally painting this guy as a Democrat. I thought it was odd because in all of the photos they showed, the “shooter” was decked out in multiple American flags.

    • MaisieisMom says:

      I saw his picture. He looks like one for sure. LMAO at anyone trying to suggest he’s a Democrat. Democrats don’t go around dressed like that, and don’t have arsenals of assault weapons.

  8. Lolo86lf says:

    Both Donald Trump and Elon Musk posted dangerous posts. The “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT” is a not so subtle cue to his criminal dumb MAGA supporter to attack Taylor. Elon’s post about Biden and Kamala not being shot at is downright evil

    • Miranda says:

      Yep. The “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT” is hilariously petulant for about 2 seconds, until you realize his actual intent.

    • SIde Eye says:

      He is so dangerous. And I agree with both of you, it’s a veiled threat. He is so vile.

    • Get Real says:

      How tf is Musk getting away with that??? Inciting violence against a sitting president and VP on a social media platform HE OWNS??! WTAF

  9. Nanea says:

    So now the Orange Menace wants all his properties protected, right? Because his misogynistic unhingedness and the Rethugs’s stubborn refusal to regulate guns in any way causes mentally unstable people who need help to go off.

    I’m sure the US taxpayers would be too happy to pay for that.

    That said, I’ve read all kinds of strange takes this morning, how this guy was a psy op, how he’s a Russian tool, and I don’t know what else. And then so many people sharing AI illustrations of tRump in a golf cart looking distressed that get debunked as soon as they’re posted.

    We’re truly living in interesting times, and I have no idea how all these fake news will ever be caught.

    That said, Apartheid Clyde should be deported ASAP. The way his “jokes” are threatening the lives of both POTUS and VPOTUS is beyond the pale.

    And his history with Brazil. And Australia, and the EU, where Twitter doesn’t respect the rules/laws any longer.

    It’s about time someone told Space Karen the difference between free speech and inciting violence and/or hatred.

    • Lolo86lf says:

      I second the motion. I believe Elon knows the difference between free speech and inciting violence, he just doesn’t care who he hurts. Elon and Trump are cut from the same evil cloth.

  10. Amy Bee says:

    Thoughts and prayers.

  11. Brassy Rebel says:

    For almost a week now both Trump and Vance have been stoking violent threats against Haitian immigrants in Ohio who are here legally and at the invitation of employers there who could not fill job openings. They have revitalized the town of Springfield. Don’t expect any sympathy from me when Trump’s stochastic terrorism backfires. He is not a victim of violence. He relishes it and revels in it.

    • Mirelle says:

      Yeah, this is where my thoughts, prayer, and anger lie — the cruelty being inflicted on the Haitian community in Ohio. Sorry, but not sorry that I feel nothing about this “alleged” second assassination. I’m going to employ MAGA philosophy and go down the rabbit hole of conspiracies. How do we know that this wasn’t a staged attempt on Trump’s team to solicit votes and sympathy?

    • Hypocrisy says:

      Exactly.. that town and its residents are being put through a nightmare because their own representative has put a target on them with outrageous lies. It’s terrifying to imagine what they would do to everyone if they get into office.. and the fact that the gop party is silent shows how deep the rot goes, anyone who doesn’t vote a straight blue ballot in November is crazy imo. I don’t care if the neighbors dog is the democratic candidate they have my vote. The gop needs to be dissolved because they are literally just a hate group trying to destroy our country and we are all exhausted with the drama and lies.

  12. Digital Unicorn says:

    Well well, another ‘fake’ and failed attempt by an ex MAGA – again eyebrows should be raised about how this person got so close. His ratings is at the bottom of his gold toilet and this isn’t going to make them any better – it didn’t work the first time.

    • Brassy Rebel says:

      I was suspicious as soon as I heard about this since the polls that have been released post debate have been BRUTAL for Trump.

    • acha says:

      Honestly? I don’t think it’s fake. Both times, they have been MAGA supporters who felt betrayed. If Trump doesn’t want assassination attempts, then maybe he should not have courted this exact kind of unstable monster — and then given them guns.

  13. boba says:

    Is that why Elon keeps having so many kids? Are they…anchor babies? LOL

  14. Gloria says:

    He’s ramping up the lunacy to detract the rubes from reality.

  15. Roo says:

    I’d like to know how this guy entered and seemed to be waiting with a gun at the golf course when Trump has secret service and probably local police force protection. It’s strange how these people have been allowed in Trump’s proximity.

    • Brassy Rebel says:

      He was outside the chain link fence with the gun barrel poking through the fence. Still, it’s unbelievable that the SS doesn’t secure the street and area around the golf course.

      • Feeshalori says:

        From what l saw at the press conference and further emphasized by the media, because he is a former president that level of security was appropriate for him. Had it been Biden at the golf course, or if Trump was the current president, security would have been ramped up to cover the perimeter and street. They made that distinction very clear so in this case, the SS agency didn’t do anything wrong.

  16. MsIam says:

    MAGA is turning on each other. I just hope the rest of us don’t pay the price. Now their “plan” is to try and shut down the government to help Trump win, if that makes any sense.

  17. Get Real says:

    This is their PR strategy when trump sh*ts the bed.
    I swear he thinks he’s still on a reality show most of the time.

  18. Whalesnark says:

    But he has the best people, the biggest brains, the most loyal followers – how could this travesty have occurred.

    Must be that they are all tired of winning.

  19. AuntRara says:

    These “attempts” make me think of Alex Murdaugh, who was convicted of murder in the deaths of his wife and son. Authorities were closing in on him as a suspect in that case, as well as massive fraud and possible drug connections. And whadda ya know, he calls 911 from the side of the road because someone “shot him in the head.” And it was all orchestrated by him in an attempt to throw suspicion elsewhere and gain him sympathy.

    I wonder what kind of fundraising bump Trump gets after one of these incidents.

  20. TN Democrat says:

    How much money have the American tax payers spent on secret service protection for the mango menace and his family since he first ran for president? He literally stayed in Chicago when the 2024 RNC was in Milwaukee so he could make the secret service pay to stay at his properties in Chicago. His brand has been self promoting the Florida property and advertising exactly where his lumpy behind lives and hides top secret documents to make naive supporters believe he is wealthy . All this is just so jaded an horrid. Vote blue.

  21. Bumblebee says:

    You reap what you sow.

  22. equality says:

    So where is the Heritage Foundation? Wouldn’t Musk be a good target to sue to have deported? Instead of worrying about things PH did years ago?

  23. aquarius64 says:

    I’d like to know how this guy knew EXACTLY where to go on Trump’s golf course to place ceramic leaden vests into the fence and stick a GoPro in said fence to live stream the attempted assassination. The other disgusting part is Trump’s first tweet about the attempt had a link to donate to his campaign. This adds fuel to the hoax suspicions. By the way, the JD Vance triple down was reported on MSNBC this morning.

    • MsIam says:

      I saw a mock up ad for a new “Fight, fight, fight” sneaker. Don’t know if it’s real or not but it wouldn’t surprise me that Trump would try to grift off of this. His donations are way down compared to Kamala’s.

    • BeanieBean says:

      Eh, google maps will get you that info.

  24. Emily says:

    I almost forgot how unrelenting the Trump news cycle is. It’s one f–cked up thing after another after another. I feel like its triggering 2016 PTSD already and I don’t even live in the US!!!!

    The hate, lies and stupidity are contagious. My family is already texting about poor Trump and theorizing that Routh is a Democrat operative. Social media comments in Canada under news articles are saying Vance never lied and Haitian residents are in fact eating pets.

    I take another month of this, let alone another four years.

    • Saucy&Sassy says:

      Emily, I hope Canadians fight back NOW about the social media comments. Canada follows a few years after the US. Don’t let them get a toe hold now. And keep at it.

      • Emily says:

        We know there has been Russian interference in Canada, with elected officials and media, but the info has not been released publicly. Hopefully it is before an election (which could be called at any time).

  25. VilleRose says:

    I don’t think this is a fake story, why would a former MAGA volunteer to get fake arrested to go to prison? They’ll be able to quickly figure out if he was paid off. At the same time why do private citizens keep thinking they can outsmart the Secret Service? I don’t like Trump at all but I also don’t wish for him to be assassinated. If that were to happen, he’d become a martyr for the MAGA cause.

  26. Libra says:

    “The secret service spotted a gun barrel and opened fire. ” They missed. Was the intent to kill him ala the roof shooter? One nostril smells “set up” and the other can’t believe the SS would go along with this.

  27. Trillion says:

    Harris is so right: He is unserious. “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT”? Seriously? He’s a nearly 80 year old man acting like a grade-schooler.

  28. lucy2 says:

    I hate feeling like a conspiracy theorist, but both of these attempts just ring false to me.
    The first one, the ear suspiciously healed very quickly, and there was almost nothing in the media about it afterwards, other than all the people wearing maxi pads on their head.
    And this one, the timing…

  29. Wls198 says:

    The whole thing seems like a conspiracy ” they’ve been trying to change the narrative of Kamala but they don’t have a concept of how to do it. I think that not only are we onto them but the folks in charge are also. This is real, not a reality show where if something doesn’t work you try something new. The debate showed him in real-time to all of us. Hopefully he looses.

  30. ChiaLlama says:

    From @rebeccamakkai on Threads posted yesterday:
    Just a reminder that there were 24 recorded assassination attempts on Hitler, and not a single one of them made him a hero.

    I hate that this man is turning me into a person who entertains conspiracies, but it really feels like this is fully a distraction and/or an attempt to garner sympathy because he didn’t feel like he got a fair shake at it the last time. I can just hear him in Mar A Lago laughing that the dems can’t change up their candidate this time, so now his sympathy play will work. I’d love if it he loses and just fucks off into jail- or house-arrest obscurity forever. And if we can avoid any of his children pursuing politics, that’d be great.

  31. olliesmom says:

    Sowing the seeds of chaos before the election. Get ready. Only 50 days. VOTE BLUE!

  32. chatter says:

    Secret Service needs to do a better job on all fronts, all candidates.
    Gun control and Mental Health also needs to improve, by leaps and bounds.

    All the school shootings should have changed the gun laws after Columbine.

  33. NikkiK says:

    This wasn’t a campaign event, so how did this guy know where he’d be. At this point, it’s obvious the call is coming from inside the house.

    I mean two white guys, both Republicans, attempt and fail to kill Donald Trump. I hate to be a wacky conspiracy theorist, but this just screams like a ploy to drum up support from his base and make him seem like a martyr because the Dems/ deep state is out to get him/silence him.

    Something about both these attempts just isn’t adding up. Is it Steven Miller trying to start the long sought after race war? What is going on?

    • BeanieBean says:

      That’s something that needs to be emphasized, considering MAGAnites are always going on & on about ‘dangerous’ immigrants (read: dark-skinned), but who are the two who tried to kill him? Two home-grown white men. This is where the danger lies, right here.

  34. chatter says:

    If these attempts are a setup….how is the SS going along?
    SS are traditionally ex-military, no?
    To get the call to guard the former POTUS or any member at that level, they are sworn to guard with their lives.
    My brother is ex MP Army and even at 75, everyone knows he will not listen to any trash talking about violence toward any POTUS.
    If the SS has reached that level of disregard of their duty, I am truly worried.

    • NikkiK says:

      I don’t think the Secret Service is involved. But I just found out that the suspect in the last attempt didn’t even fire a single shot…..so I think using the assassination attempt language is hyperbole at this stage.

  35. Fifee says:

    “Attempted” .. thats unfortunate.

    Starting to agree with so many of you that this smacks of being a set-up. Fool me once shame, on you etc etc.

  36. AC says:

    I think there’s many Repubs who are already at their Trump fatigue stage and just want him to go away. Finally some people are waking up and realize this idiot has been conning them.
    But still go out there to encourage everyone to vote Kamala and Tim and vote blue!

  37. Anonymous says:

    well that’s a shame

  38. bisynaptic says:

    At this rate, he’s not going to make it, to the election… 😂
    Hey, wait a minute, 🤔 could Vance/Thiel be behind this? Would be very funny, if the Veep were trying to kill off the head of his own ticket. Wouldn’t put it past him.
    But it’s very Biblical/karmic that they’re getting the violence that they themselves stoke.

  39. Mina_Esq says:

    Now that I’ve seen Trump blame VP Harris for this “attempt”, I’m on team conspiracy – fake news, set up by Trump to get him out of the news cycle of his abysmal debate performance.