A year ago, the country was still upset from the attempted assassination of Donald Trump’s life when Secret Service agents discovered a rifle plunging through the fence at Trump’s Florida golf course.
On September 15, 2024, agents fired at Ryan Rouse, who was accused of plotting to kill Trump while playing golf at a club in West Palm Beach. About two months ago, when he spoke during a Pennsylvania campaign with a shooting that killed one audience member and injured two others, a bullet grazeed Trump’s ears.
The Routh criminal trial was ongoing last week when debates over political violence in America reached a fever pitch following the murder of conservatively influential Charlie Kirk.
Here’s what you need to know about Trump’s second assassination attempt a year later:
Trial for the Suspect Ryan Rouse got off to an extraordinary start
The Ryan Rouse incident has been headed towards surrealism from the start.
With a semi-automatic rifle and a bag of mini sausages found hidden in Trump’s golf course planting, the man accused of planning to kill him fired his lawyer, took the stripper to prison, suggesting a boxing fight with the president instead of trial, and calling his former sexual partner.
The opening statement began on September 11th, the day after conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was shot dead at a Utah campus event. Ruth, representing himself, issued an opening statement about human history and current geopolitical conflicts before the judge finally cut him off. He spoke for about five minutes in total.
“Without the Secret Service, Donald Trump wouldn’t be alive,” U.S. Attorney Advisor John Shipley said at the start of his 45-minute statement to the ju judge.
During the first days of testimony, prosecutors called out one of their main witnesses: a therapist on his way to buy office furniture when he hears gunshots at Trump International Golf Club. Tommy McGee told ju decree he was unable to take a photo of Lous running away into the scene in time, but he wrote down the law enforcement license plate number.
“You’re a man,” Rous told McGee when given the opportunity to cross-examine him. Almost every question and observation was challenged by the prosecutor.
What happened in the September 2024 attempt to assassinate Trump?
On September 15, 2024, authorities thrust a rifle barrel through a fence at the edge of Trump International golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, saying the then presidential candidate was playing golf. A Secret Service agent on the course discovered the weapon and fired at the man who escaped.
At the scene of the obvious assassination attempt, authorities found a rifle, a black backpack, a bag containing ceramic tiles, and a GoPro camera.
Martin County Sheriff’s Office officials stopped Lous about 41 miles from the golf course.
Who is Ryan Rouse?
Ryan Rouse, 59, was the suspect on September 15, 2024, attempted to assassinate Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential election at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
State voting records show that the general lauscasting vote and local government elections, dating back to many cycles, including 2008 and 2012, were not when Trump first ran in 2016. Records suggest that he is not affiliated with the party.
According to the same record, Rouse was recently voted in the March 2024 primary in Guilford County, North Carolina. He voted for Democrats.
Based on his social media posts, Routh appeared to be a passionate supporter of Ukraine in the fight against Russian invasion.
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. For one thing, he tweeted on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s account, saying, “I am an American who comes to fight you in Ukraine. I am flying to Krakow, and I will carry out transport to Kyiv and meet you and fight until I die.
Why was suspect Ryan Rouse charged with?
Routh faces federal accusations including attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and multiple firearm violations. Prosecutors said Rous spent weeks killing Trump before planting himself in a rifle near the golf course.
Routh pleaded not guilty to federal charges and was in custody prior to trial, federal prison records show.
US District Judge Irene Cannon, who will continue to be available as a lawyer appointed attorney in question, has previously approved Routh’s request to represent herself in court.
contribution: Bad Jansen, Gianna Montesano, Olivia FranklinUSA TODAY USA Today Network
Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at Palm Beach Post. You can contact her at hphillips@pbpost.com.
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA Today Network. Contact her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and Tiktok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.
