As the U.S. Justice Department prepares its case against Ryan Wesley Routh—the man arrested for attempting to shoot and kill President Donald Trump on September 15, 2024 as he played a round of golf at his West Palm Beach, Fla., course—prosecutors have revealed a complex array of facts that show how the assassination attempt narrowly avoided turning much deadlier.
Routh, 59, had previously traveled to Ukraine, where he endeavored to ingratiate himself with American volunteers. Leveraging his connections, he allegedly sought to procure weapons of war from Ukrainian authorities, arguing that eliminating Trump was necessary because a second term for the president would be “bad for Ukraine.” One device Routh sought was a rocket launcher-style “Stinger or RPG to take out Trump,” a DOJ filing states.
A month prior to the attempted shooting, Routh “attempt[ed] to acquire anti-aircraft weapons as direct evidence of his assassination attempt. That month, Routh sought to purchase the devices online from an associate Routh believed to be a Ukrainian with access to military weapons.” Routh allegedly then told his weapons connection, “I need equipment so that Trump cannot get reelected.” They began exchanging text messages, during which Routh reassured his contact by noting that such weapons “get lost and destroyed daily,” implying that the sale could be disguised as a case of inventory mismanagement.
“The two continued to discuss the possibility of Routh securing a rocket or missile launcher, with Routh sending his associate an image of President Trump’s plane and writing ‘Trump’s plane, he gets on and off daily,’” prosecutors noted in their filing, much of which was highly classified. Routh faces charges for two firearms offenses, one of which is the removal of a serial number from an AK-47–style rifle he allegedly dropped outside the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach. President Trump was playing the fifth hole at the course when Secret Service agents opened fire on Routh, who was crouched along a perimeter fence but managed to escape.
A letter addressed to “The World” was found in his possession, allegedly detailing his reasons for attempting to kill the president. “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job,” the note says.
Cell phone data to be presented in court suggests that Routh waited up to 12 hours before President Trump came into his line of sight. Prosecutors allege that he stalked Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property several times in the months leading up to the assassination attempt. Additional evidence indicates that Routh allegedly maintained a handwritten list of dates and venues where President Trump was scheduled to speak in the run-up to the November 5th election.
During a search of Routh’s car, investigators stated they found six cell phones, one of which contained “a Google search of how to travel from Palm Beach County to Mexico.” A court filing states they also found “12 pairs of gloves; a Hawaii Driver’s License in the Defendant’s name; a passport in the Defendant’s name.”
