Have we reached that point in American politics where a SECOND assignation attempt on a former President and current candidate for the White House is seemingly par for the course – pun definitely intended!
It seems like it’s back to business as usual as both the Trump and the Harris campaigns have swiftly moved past the second attempt in about as many months on the former president’s life!
Both campaigns are rushing ahead this week without missing a beat, despite numerous law enforcement agencies investigating the assassination attempt Sunday on Trump.
Harris has been stumping around DC, looking to pick up an endorsement from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters during a private sit-down interview with the organization on Monday before heading to several campaign stops later this week. Tuesday, it was on to the major battleground, Philadelphia, for a formal interview with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).
Trump, while fundraising off of the second attempt at his Florida golf course, is continuing his regular schedule.
Trump was safe after the incident in Florida and praised the Secret Service for protecting him but didn’t shy away from blaming his opponents. He stated matter-of-factly that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris ‘ comments that he is a threat to democracy inspired the attempt on Sunday.
Here is what we know about the second assassination attempt on Trump thus far:
- The man suspected in the incident, Ryan Wesley Routh, camped outside the golf course in West Palm Beach with food and a rifle for nearly 12 hours, according to court documents filed Monday.
- Additional and more serious charges are possible as the investigation continues and prosecutors seek an indictment from a grand jury.
- Routh was armed with an AK-47-style rifle and was allegedly 300-500 yards away from Trump when a member of the former president’s Secret Service detail spotted his rifle in the tree line, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
- In 2002, he was charged with possession of a weapon of mass destruction, a felony, according to North Carolina Department of Corrections records.
- Routh voted Democratic in the 2024 primary election in North Carolina, and he voted in person, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections. He appears to be registered as an unaffiliated voter.
- His account on X, formerly known as Twitter, has now been suspended. It included a number of defamatory posts about Trump, including a June 2020 post that said, “I will be glad when you are gone.”
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has ordered his attorney general to open an independent investigation into the suspected would-be assassin.