There are several unanswered questions after an assassination attempt against Donald Trump on Sunday—the second time in two months that there has been an attempt on the former president’s life.
Trump “is safe following gunshots in his vicinity” at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, his spokesman told Newsweek on Sunday afternoon.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said a Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of a rifle sticking out of the fence of the golf course and “engaged” the gunman.
The suspect dropped the rifle and fled the scene in an SUV, and was later apprehended while driving north on I-95 in Martin County. The suspect was identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh.
As the FBI investigates the incident, Newsweek looks at some of the major unanswered questions.
Law enforcement secure the area around Trump International Golf Club after an attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life on September 15, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
How Did the Gunman Know Trump’s Whereabouts?
It remains unclear how the suspect in Sunday’s incident knew that Trump would be at his Florida club. The former president attended a private fundraiser in Utah on Saturday evening after a string of campaign events on the West Coast but did not have any events scheduled for Sunday.
Chris Swecker, a former FBI assistant director, told Newsweek the agency will have to determine how Routh knew the exact details of when Trump was playing golf.
“The biggest question to answer is: ‘How did the would-be assassin know to be at that location at that time?'” he said. “There are only three possible answers: He guessed and got very lucky; he conducted surveillance on Trump and followed him to the golf course or he had inside information about Trump’s schedule. The last answer is scary and has implications that another person was involved.”
What Was Ryan Wesley Routh’s Motive?
Law enforcement has not provided any details about a possible motive.
Routh’s son, Oran Routh, has said that his father hates Trump as “every reasonable person does.”
Routh’s social media accounts, which have since been suspended, show he was an avid supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia. In several posts, he appeared to be trying to help recruit soldiers for Ukraine’s war effort.
How Did Ryan Wesley Routh Get the Rifle?
Palm Beach County Sheriff Bradshaw said the suspect had an AK-47 style rifle with a scope. It was not clear how Routh got hold of the weapon.
He had a criminal record, having reportedly been previously arrested eight times, mostly for minor offenses.
Routh was convicted in 2002 of possessing a weapon of mass destruction, the Associated Press reported, citing online records of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.
A man with the same name was arrested after a three-hour standoff with police, according to a December 2002 story by News and Record in Greensboro, North Carolina. Routh was reportedly charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possessing a weapon of mass destruction, “referring to a fully automatic machine gun.”
Should Trump Have the Same Security as President Joe Biden?
The Secret Service came under intense scrutiny for failing to prevent an attempt on Trump’s life at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. Trump sustained an ear injury when a gunman opened fire from a rooftop during Trump’s speech. One person was killed and two others were injured.
Sunday’s incident has reignited debate about the level of protection given to Trump. While sitting presidents receive the highest level of protection, the protocols for former presidents and presidential candidates can vary.
Bradshaw said at a news conference on Sunday that the gunman was able to get close to Trump because as a former president and a presidential candidate, he does not have the same level of protection given as a sitting president.
“The golf course is surrounded by shrubbery, so when somebody gets into the shrubbery, they’re pretty much out of sight,” Bradshaw said. “If he was [the sitting president], we would have had this entire golf course surrounded. But because he’s not, the security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.”
