Trump After Second Assassination Attempt: ‘I Will Never Surrender’

September 16, 2024

Secret Service agents stopped an assassination attempt of President Donald Trump at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, Sunday afternoon. This is the second attempt to assassinate Trump in just two months.

What happened: Around 1:30 p.m., President Trump was golfing at hole five on his course, just 10 minutes from his home at Mar-a-Lago, when gunshots rang out 300 to 500 yards away.

A Secret Service agent scouting out hole six had spotted the barrel of an AK-47 poking through the chain link fence bordering the golf course and immediately opened fire on the gunman. The would-be assassin dropped his gun and fled in an suv.

Agents closer to President Trump swarmed him, and a Secret Service fast cart took him to safety.

The assassin, identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, was arrested after pulling over and surrendering to law enforcement.

Officers found the AK-47, a scope, two backpacks and a GoPro camera where Routh had been stationed along the chain link fence at the golf course.

No protection: Trump had just returned from a campaign trip on the West Coast and had announced on social media he would deliver remarks at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, but it is unknown how Routh knew of Trump’s personal schedule and was able to get so close to him.

According to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, President Trump had less security because he is “not the sitting president”:

He’s not the sitting president. If he was, we would have had this entire golf course surrounded. But because he’s not, his security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.

Details about Routh:

Routh was a self-employed affordable housing builder.
He was born in North Carolina but currently lives in Hawaii.
He allegedly voted for President Trump in 2016, but has since repeatedly donated to the Democratic Party and voted in the March Democratic Primary.

https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1835449210621055246

The fbi found a Biden-Harris bumper sticker on his pickup truck at his home in Kaawa, Hawaii.
He is a vocal hater of President Trump, and he often quoted the anti-Trump rhetoric used by Kamala Harris and Joe Biden.

https://twitter.com/EvanAKilgore/status/1835438593851933040

Routh has a long criminal record, including charges for stealing, traffic misdemeanors, carrying concealed weapons, and a 2002 charge for possession of weapons of mass destruction.

https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1835454007822684322

In 2022, Routh traveled to Ukraine to become a fighter and recruiter for the International Legion, a military unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces made up of foreign volunteers. The International Legion has been accused of substantial misconduct as it has become a refuge for criminals, wanted activists and mercenaries.

https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/1835440928074736007

Routh set up an international volunteer center in Ukraine and was part of a campaign scheme to recruit fighters illegally through Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.

https://twitter.com/LauraLoomer/status/1835477346603651327

https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1835507593772454094

‘Never surrender’: After the assassination attempt, President Trump released a statement saying he is “safe and well,” then added, “Nothing will slow me down. I will never surrender.”

https://twitter.com/KariLake/status/1835422496189043108

President Trump is risking his life for America. As Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has explained, God is protecting this man because of his role fulfilling a key Bible prophecy.

To understand “Why God Is Protecting Donald Trump,” read Mr. Flurry’s feature article from the September Trumpet issue.