Trump shooting attempt suspect was near golf course for 12 hours, FBI says

Brandon Livesay
Reporting from New York

Donald Trump was the target of an apparent assassination attempt on Sunday, a mere two months after the Republican presidential nominee was shot in the ear at a rally in Butler.

There were no bullets fired by the suspect in Sunday’s incident, thanks to what the Secret Service has labelled as a “hyper vigilant” agent who spotted a gun muzzle poking out from bushes at Trump’s Florida golf course.

The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, faced court today and was charged with federal gun crimes. He could potentially face more charges.

The FBI is investigating Routh’s social media accounts, which show a man with a strong focus on the war in Ukraine. The 58-year-old also has a criminal history dating back to the 1990s.

In his first public comments since the most recent incident, Trump described hearing “four or five shots” in a live event on X on Monday evening. “The Secret Service did a great job,” he said, blaming “political foes” for “rhetoric” that preceded the shooting.

There have been bi-partisan calls to better protect presidential candidates after this second disturbing incident in a matter of weeks. And there still 49 days until the presidential election.

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