Ryan Wesley Routh’s Son Says His Father Hates Donald Trump

The son of the man in custody after an apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump on Sunday has reportedly said his father hates the former president.

Shots were fired at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, but no injuries were reported. “President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung told Newsweek on Sunday afternoon.

A Secret Service agent had noticed the barrel of a rifle sticking out of the fence of the golf course, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said during a news conference on Sunday. An agent fired and the gunman dropped the rifle and fled the scene in an SUV, but he was later apprehended in a neighboring county.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook that deputies stopped a vehicle and took a suspect into custody. The suspect was identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh.

Routh’s son Oran Routh told the DailyMail.com shortly after Sunday’s shooting that his father hates Trump as “every reasonable person does.”

“I don’t like Trump either,” he said.

He said his father is “not a violent person” and that he was not aware of him owning a gun. Oran Routh also said he could not believe his father would target the former president.

“He’s my dad and all he’s had is couple traffic tickets, as far as I know,” Oran Routh said. “That’s crazy. I know my dad and love my dad, but that’s nothing like him.”

He said he had fallen out with his father but described him as a “great dad” and a “hard worker.”

Oran Routh could not immediately be reached for further comment.

Sunday’s incident comes just nine weeks after the Republican presidential nominee survived an attempt on his life when a gunman opened fire while he was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The Secret Service faced heavy criticism for failing to prevent the July 13 shooting, and Sunday’s incident raises new questions about the agency’s operations.

Late Sunday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to thank the Secret Service and law enforcement for keeping him safe.

In an email to supporters, Trump said: “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL! Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!”

The FBI is leading the investigation into Sunday’s shooting.

“The FBI has responded to West Palm Beach Florida and is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump,” the bureau told Newsweek.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said the state would conduct its own investigation. “The people deserve the truth about the would be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee,” DeSantis wrote on X.

Ryan Routh’s Social Media Accounts Suspended

Routh’s Facebook and X accounts were suspended in the wake of Sunday’s shooting.

Both accounts reportedly featured numerous posts supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia. Routh spoke about his efforts to recruit volunteers for the International Legion Defense of Ukraine, a unit of Ukraine’s Ground Forces, in a June 2022 interview with Newsweek Romania.

Routh slammed Trump in a June 2020 post on X, according to a screenshot posted on the platform.

“@realDonaldTrump While you were my choice in 2016, I and the world hoped that President Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment [sic], and it seems you are getting worse and devolving; are you retarded; I will be glad when you’re gone,” Routh wrote.

In recent years, Routh’s posts expressed support for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, the Associated Press reported.