The suspect in the attempted assassination allegedly wrote a letter about Trump
Ryan Rouse is said to have written a letter several months before his visit to Trump International Golf Course, which calls the trip an “attempt to assassinate.”
The man accused of trying to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump with a rifle on a 2024 golf course in South Florida, appeared in front of a group of potential ju umpires on September 8th.
Federal prosecutors allegedly Ryan Rouse, 59, systematically plotted to kill Trump and hid it in a rifle near the sixth hole at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on September 15, 2024. Prosecutors say he intended to shoot Trump while Rous was playing a round of golf.
According to court documents, a US Secret Service agent plunged into a chain link fence and fired a rifle barrel, urging the suspect to drop his weapon and escape. Rous was later arrested about 41 miles from the golf course.
Prosecutors say the incident was the second attempt at assassination of Trump during the 2024 presidential election. About two months before the second incident, Trump was grazing in his ears with a bullet while speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The shooter was later killed by an agent in the Secret Service.
Rous, a resident of Hawaii and former Trump supporters, faces accusations of assassinating a presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and attempting to violate several weapons. He pleads not guilty to all charges.
If convicted, Routh could be sentenced to life in prison.
The trial in federal court in Fort Pierce, Florida began on September 8th with the election of a ju judge. Routh fired his legal team – he decided to represent himself in court – the “standby lawyer” will be held in court through trial to assist him.
Here’s what we know about the suspect and the assassination allegations:
Prosecutor: Rous gathered “sniper nests”
While Trump was playing golf at Trump International, secret service agents who perform the security sweep observed a partially hidden face of the brush along the fence line near the sixth hole, according to court documents and federal prosecutors.
The agent then found a rifle barrel that aimed directly at him, court documents say. As the agent began to retreat, he saw the barrel of his rifle and fired.
When agents detected Louth, Trump was hundreds of yards away near the fifth hole on the course, prosecutors said. He would have been in the sixth hall within about 15 minutes.
According to court documents, the witness reported that he later saw a man running across the road from a golf course and obtained a vehicle. Local sheriff’s deputies reported that Routh had arrested on Interstate 95 at approximately Mile Marker 112 in Martin County, the Treasure Coast Newspaper, a part of the USA Today Network.
Prosecutors accused Routh of assembled a “sniper nest” while looking at the sixth hole on the golf course. Court documents alleged during the investigation, FBI agents discovered an SKS semi-automatic rifle with scope attached and an expansion magazine in the area where the Routh was hidden.
“The rifle’s serial number was deleted and not read,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. “Hanging from the fence was a backpack and a reusable shopping bag, each containing a plate that could stop the fire of a small weapon.”
Prosecutors also claimed that Routh wrote a letter about the assassination attempt several months before the incident, which he left to an acquaintance. The letter was addressed to the “Dear World” and, among other things, stated, “This was an attempt to assassinate Donald Trump, and I am very sorry that I failed to you.”
Ryan Rouse’s criminal history
Prosecutors say Rouse was convicted of North Carolina felony in 2002 and 2010. USAToday previously reported that the North Carolina Judicial Branch has posted more than 200 trials involving Routh, including Guilford County, where Routh had many previous addresses, and cited more than 200 lawsuits from businesses that refrained from removing money.
Reuters reported that Routh lost his right to own a firearm when he pleaded guilty to a felony in 2002 to possessing an illegal explosive device. He was later released on bonds and was arrested again for carrying a hidden handgun without permission after fleeing a traffic stop and barricaded himself inside a roof business.
He later pleaded guilty to possession of court records described as “a binary explosive with a 10-inch explosive code and a explosive cap,” and was sentenced to probation, Reuters reported. In 2010, he pleaded guilty to a felony after being charged with possession of stolen goods, including stolen goods, pull carts and power cords, according to court records.
Although Routh previously worked as a roofer and contractor, court records showed that business transactions were often sour and he was repeatedly sued by people who accused him of not paying his bill.
Around 2018, Routh moved to Hawaii and launched a company offering small, affordable, custom-built homes. However, a customer told USA Today in September 2024 that he gave Routh a massive deposit for a project that he had never completed.
Political activities in Routh
Online activities showed that Routh supported Ukraine in the war with Russia. He advocated on Ukrainian social media to gain support in defending Russian aggression.
In the spring of 2022, Routh suggested in a series of X posts that he traveled to Ukraine to fight on behalf of the haunted country. In one post, he tweeted on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s account, “I am an American who comes to fight you in Ukraine. I will fly to Kyiv, meet you and transport you to Kiev to fight until I die… We must come and join the battle all civilians of the world.
Rous also wrote in a self-published book in 2023 that he voted for Trump in 2016, but said he regretted his decision due to the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. However, public records reviewed by USA Today last year show that local government elections, which date back to many cycles, including 2008 and 2012, were not when Trump first ran in 2016.
Although records suggest he is not affiliated with the party, they also showed that Rouse voted for Democrats in the 2024 primary in Guilford County, North Carolina.
Contributors: Christopher Cann, Rick Jarvis, and Will Carless, USA Today. Hannah Phillips, Palm Beach Post. Reuters
