Second Trump Assassination Attempt Raises Questions About Secret Service Competence
Plus: cat rumors, TikTok in court, and an earthquake
The Secret Service has thwarted another assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, though the incident is bound to raise questions about the competence of the government authorities trusted to keep politicians safe.
On Sunday, at 1:30 p.m., the former president (and current presidential candidate) was golfing at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, when his security detail spotted a rifle in the bushes. The Secret Service opened fire, and the would-be assassin fled. He was later apprehended and identified as 57-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh.
The FBI is investigating "what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump," according to Politico. This is, of course, the second attempt on Trump's life in two months. Unlike the July 13 attack in Butler, Pennsylvania—in which Trump was wounded in the ear and a bystander was killed—no one was harmed at the golf club on Sunday.
The Secret Service has been widely criticized for failing to prevent the Butler shooting. In that incident, the shooter was able to target Trump from a roof that was technically outside the Secret Service's security perimeter but well within striking distance of the candidate. Onlookers spotted the shooter first, and then a local police officer was able to engage him; warnings, however, did not reach Trump's security detail in time."
Secret Service Directory Kimberly Cheatle ultimately resigned over the agency's failures.
"A Secret Service investigation has confirmed security breakdowns that paved the way for an attempted assassination of Donald Trump, while also revealing new information—including that agents never directed local police to secure the roof of the building used by the gunman, according to two senior government officials familiar with the probe," reported The Washington Post just last week.
Given the threats to Trump's life, one might have expected him to receive additional security while out and about at his golf course. But Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters that the security measures taken were absolutely satisfactory because Trump is not "the sitting president."
SHERIFF ON TRUMP SECURITY: "He's not the sitting president. If he was, we would've had the entire golf course surrounded. Because he's not - the security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible." pic.twitter.com/IM35dtL5pC
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 15, 2024
"At this level that he is as right now, he is not the sitting president," said Bradshaw at a press conference. "If he was, we would have had this entire golf course surrounded. But because he's not, the security is limited to the areas the Secret Service deems possible. I would imagine that next time he comes to the golf course there will probably be more people around the perimeter, but the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done."
If you have concerns about the Secret Service's operations, that statement may not provide much comfort.
As for the shooter: Routh has a long history of making political statements on X. He appears to have previously supported Trump before moving towards the Democrats. In a self-published book about the Ukraine War, he wrote about visiting the country and becoming disillusioned with its chances of defeating Russia. At that time, he worked with Ukraine's International Volunteer Center to recruit U.S.-trained Afghan fighters to join the effort. In the book, he described Trump as an "idiot" and a "buffoon."
He repeatedly posted on X in support of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, claiming that "democracy is on the ballot." In June of 2020, he reflected on his former support for Trump, writing: "While you were my choice in 2106 [sic], I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment and it seems you are getting worse and devolving. I will be glad when you gone."
Scenes from Washington, D.C.: Routh apparently visited the nation's capital last year to advocate on Ukraine's behalf. The New York Times interviewed him while he was in the city, and he posted a picture of himself in front of the Capitol on LinkedIn.
QUICK HITS
- On CNN, Sen. J.D. Vance (R–Ohio) defended his claims about Haitian migrants in Ohio eating people's pets.
- But Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, said that the stories are "garbage" and that there are no credible reports of migrant stealing and eating pets.
- Right-wing activist Christopher Rufo found a video of someone—not a Haitian—in a different Ohio town grilling something that might have been cats, and is treating this like some sort of victory.
- TikTok is going to court today.
- A 3.6 magnitude earthquake hit Malibu, California.
