Ryan Routh, alleged would-be Trump assassin, urged Iran to kill ‘buffoon’ ex-president

Routh’s online presence reveals shifting political views, including support for Hong Kong protesters, advocating for Ukraine and disdain for Trump

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Ryan Routh speaks during an interview at a rally to urge foreign leaders and international organisations to help provide humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and Ukrainian servicemen from Mariupol in central Kyiv on April 27, 2022. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:11pm, 16 Sep 2024Updated: 12:55am, 17 Sep 2024

Ryan Routh portrayed himself online as a man who built housing for homeless people in Hawaii, tried to recruit fighters for Ukraine to defend itself against Russia, and described his support and then disdain for Donald Trump – even urging Iran to kill him.

“You are free to assassinate Trump,” Routh wrote of Iran in an apparently self-published book in 2023, Ukraine’s Unwinnable War, which described the former president as a “fool” and “buffoon” for both the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots and the “tremendous blunder” of leaving the Iran nuclear deal.

Routh also commented on China and North Korea. On X, formerly Twitter, Routh invites a dozen protesters in Hong Kong to stay at his Hawaii home to escape a Chinese crackdown. In another, he contacted former basketball star Dennis Rodman, asking for help lifting sanctions against North Korea to ease tension with the country.

Routh following his arrest in Martin County, Florida on Sunday. Photo: Martin County Sheriff’s Department / AFP/ Handout

Routh, who was charged with two counts of illegal firearms possession on Monday, wrote that he once voted for Trump and must take part of the blame for the “child that we elected for our next president that ended up being brainless”.

The 58-year-old was arrested on Sunday after authorities say he stalked the Republican Party presidential nominee as he golfed in West Palm Beach, Florida, with an AK-47-style rifle in an apparent assassination attempt thwarted by the Secret Service.

Mobile phone records show that Routh was near the golf course for about 12 hours before being confronted by a Secret Service agent, according to court documents unsealed on Monday.

Officials said in the documents that Routh’s phone was shown near the tree line at the golf course from 1:59am until 1:31pm on Sunday.