By News Editor Leah Castaneda
Courtesy of Evan Vucci
Donald Trump raising a fist at a rally surrounded by special agents after a gunshot wound.
Former president, Donald Trump, and current Republican presidential candidate has had not one, but two attempts made on his life within a span of two months. The second assassination attempt took place Sep. 15, 2024 at his Golf Course in West Palm Beach Florida. A man by the name Ryan Wesley Routh was the alleged perpetrator.
At exactly 1:30 pm, a Secret Service special agent spotted the suspect just outside the perimeter of the golf course, sticking a rifle through the fence just a few holes ahead of Trump. Though the suspect never fired a shot, the threat was identified and handled swiftly, firing shots at the suspect almost immediately.
The suspect, Routh, did lead Florida police and other special agents on a bit of a chase as he was able to enter his car and flee the scene before agents had a chance to detain him, though he was eventually caught around 2:14 pm the same day.
“I am safe and well,” Trump said in a statement from his campaign. “The job done was absolutely outstanding. I am very proud to be an American."
A statement from the FBI, as reported by NPR news, has confirmed that this event “appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump,” the second attempt in just two months.
Trump, a figure already considered controversial within the current cultural climate, has been the center of heated discussion as this year’s presidential race approaches its close. It would be expected that an action such as the attempted assassination of a presi- dential candidate would be motivated by a strong involvement in US politics; no such motivation for either assailants has been found. Neither the first assailant, Thomas Mathew Crooks, nor Routh has been found to have any significant political motivation for their actions. Routh was found to be not a political activist, but a convicted felon with a criminal record dating all the way back to 2002. The crimes listed include possessing a weapon of mass destruction, resisting arrest, a hit-and-run charge and a concealed weapons violation. Further investigation of Routh’s background found him to be a passionate supporter of Ukraine in their conflicts with Russia, finding many of his pro-Ukraine commentary on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Following shortly after this event, on Sep. 18, 2024, reports of a car filled with explosives found near Nassau Coliseum in New York, a venue that was meant to hold Trump’s next rally on his campaign trail. These statements were founded and spread on the platform X. They were however confirmed to be false.
This string of events has been considered a reflection of the tension within the world of American politics and raises concerns for many. No evidence has been found tying any of these attempts to any extreme political faction and are widely considered to be isolated events though, naturally, concerns have still been raised.
“We live in dangerous times,” said special agent and head of Miami field office, Rafael Barros in an interview with NPR news.
The threat of political violence seems to be greater than it has been in decades, and many seem to be preparing for and expecting the worst. However, government officials have been able to offer some solace to Americans across the country.
“I will say what I have said many times before:”, given by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in an official statement. "There is no place in this country for political violence of any kind.”
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