Authorities reported that the individual accused of attempting to target former President Trump during his Sunday afternoon golf game in Florida had previously taken to social media, stating, “Democracy is on the ballot” this year, adding, “we cannot lose.” His remarks echoed the anti-Trump rhetoric often voiced by President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The suspect was identified by law enforcement as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh.
Routh, who has an extensive criminal history in North Carolina, frequently shared his political views online and has only donated to Democratic candidates and causes since 2019.
In an April 22 post on X, Routh criticized Trump, writing, “DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose.”
Routh also offered advice to President Biden, then 81, in a post on X, suggesting that he build his reelection campaign on maintaining “America democratic and free.”
He further accused Trump of attempting to “make Americans slaves against master.”
Routh reiterated his earlier sentiment, stating, “DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose,” a slogan frequently used by both President Biden and Vice President Harris.
“We cannot afford to fail,” Routh emphasized. “The world is counting on us to show the way.”
This rhetoric closely mirrors statements made by Vice President Harris during her campaign appearances. For example, at a rally in Savannah, Georgia, on Aug. 29, she declared, “We are fighting for our democracy.”
On July 31, while at an event in Houston, Harris remarked that “our fundamental freedoms are on the ballot and so is our democracy,” having used nearly identical language earlier that day at a sorority gathering.
Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton commented to The Post: “It is no coincidence that Routh echoed Kamala’s and Joe’s inflammatory rhetoric against Trump. At this stage, such rhetoric amounts to dangerous incitement.”
Representatives for President Biden and Vice President Harris did not respond to requests for comment.
After the July assassination attempt on Trump, in which the Republican frontrunner sustained an injury to his ear, Routh tweeted at Biden, urging him to visit the victims of a shooting at a Pennsylvania rally, where Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire, killing a 50-year-old volunteer firefighter.
“You should visit the victims in the hospital of the Trump rally victims and attend the funeral of the fireman that died; Trump certainly never would. SHOW THE WORLD WHAT REAL LEADERS DO,” Routh tweeted on July 16.
Routh had previously expressed disappointment in Trump’s presidency. In June 2020, he tweeted at Trump, saying that while he had supported the Republican in 2016, he became disillusioned with his performance in office.
“I and the world hoped that President Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointed and it seems you are getting worse and devolving; are you retarded; I will be glad when you gone,” Routh wrote.
Routh’s financial support for Democratic candidates and progressive causes began in 2019. Between September 2019 and March 2020, he donated more than $140 through the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records.
The FEC filings did not specify his employer.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Routh attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and relocated to Hawaii around 2018.
On LinkedIn, he described himself as “mechanically minded” with a passion for “ideas, invention, and creative projects with artistic flair.”
Sources indicated that Secret Service agents spotted Routh near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, armed with a Soviet-style SKS assault rifle.
Although the agents opened fire, Routh managed to flee but was later apprehended on I-95 by local authorities.
Routh’s social media activity included bizarre posts and replies, alongside strong expressions of support for Ukraine in its war with Russia and for Taiwan in its conflict with China.
In one message to X’s owner, Elon Musk, Routh inquired about purchasing a rocket from the billionaire.
“I would like to buy a rocket from you. I wish to load it with a warhead for Putin’s Black Sea mansion bunker to end him. Can you give me a price please? It can be old and used as not returning,” Routh wrote.
Routh also claimed on X that he had unsuccessfully tried to recruit former Afghan soldiers to fight for Ukraine against Russia, abandoning the idea after six months.
He further claimed to have visited Kyiv and expressed his willingness to fight on the front lines if given the opportunity.
In one of his posts, Routh voiced support for Republican presidential candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley, urging them to continue their campaigns.
“You cannot quit. Why. You must stay on the ballot to the end. You must fight. You must continue giving speeches and push all the way to election day no matter the election results. Do not give in. Join Nikki and keep working. Never give up,” Routh wrote to Ramaswamy.
{Matzav.com}
