A second attempt on Donald Trump’s life has raised renewed questions about Secret Service protection and how attackers are able to get so close to the former President. Agents opened fire on a would-be assassin on Mr. Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, after seeing a rifle peek through a fence aimed and at the Republican. The FBI confirmed it was an assassination attempt and that the suspect fled the scene. He was later arrested and identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh. Immediate media reports indicate that Routh was upset by Trump’s position on Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said security for the former President focused mainly on his rallies and less so on his private residences because the Secret Service does not have sufficient resources. “He’s not the sitting President. If he was, we would have had this entire golf course surrounded,” he said.
President Biden condemned the incident and said the federal government must give the Secret Service “every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety.” Republicans were furious, however, and said more must be done to protect Mr. Trump. US House majority leader Steve Scalise called for “expanding the perimeter” and increasing protection levels.
Suspect Routh is a Hawaii resident and self-employed builder who frequently expresses staunch support for Ukraine on social media and reportedly traveled to the Eastern European nation in 2022 to support its troops and civilians. Video footage shows Routh at a rally in Kyiv, holding a Ukrainian flag and appealing for volunteers.
An aid worker who got to know Mr. Routh described his fixation on Ukraine was not healthy. Chris Lutz, a humanitarian aid worker in Ukraine’s capital, said Routh had tried to recruit people into the Ukrainian army, even though he had no official authority to do so. “He was trying his best to help Ukraine. But it was getting to an unhealthy level,” Lutz explained.
At his debate against Kamala Harris, Mr. Trump did not answer questions on whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war against Russia. The Republican said it was in America’s best interests for the war to end, prompting Ms. Harris to claim that Trump would end it by handing victory to Russian President Vladimir Putin.