Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the attempted assassination near Donald Trump's Florida golf club, is a rabid anti-Trumper, according to his son, Oran Routh.
According to law enforcement, Routh aimed a scoped rifle through a fence at Trump’s golf course while the former president was on the green, prompting Secret Service agents to open fire. Routh fled, but Martin County Sheriff’s Deputies later apprehended him on I-95. Reports state that he was unarmed during the arrest and remained calm throughout the encounter.
Oran Routh, speaking with the Daily Mail, said he does not believe his father is violent and was unaware his father even owned a gun.
"This was the first I heard about it," he told the paper. "Was my father shot or injured?"
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He added that his father dislikes Trump, as "every reasonable person does." He emphasized, "I don't like Trump either," while insisting that his father is not a violent person and would never target the former president.
'He's my dad and all he's had is couple traffic tickets, as far as I know,' the son said. 'That's crazy. I know my dad and love my dad, but that's nothing like him.'
The former president was rushed to safety on Sunday after multiple shots were fired in his vicinity while he was playing golf at his club in West Palm Beach.
Routh said his father, who had no military experience, said he had traveled to Ukraine following Russia’s 2022 invasion to help volunteer and provide aid to those affected.
Routh moved to Hawaii a few years back and was living with his longtime girlfriend. He said he didn't know his father was even in Florida.
'He said he was at the beach, but I thought that meant the outer banks in Hawaii,' he said. 'I didn't ask him for more information because we've had a falling out. We've grown apart.'
He wouldn't explain the nature of their 'falling out,' but still spoke highly of his father.
'He's not a violent person,' he said. 'He's a hard worker and a great dad. He's a great dude, a nice guy and has worked his whole f**king life.'
When asked if his father owned a gun, Oran Routh said, "Not that I know of," and expressed disbelief, stating, "I've never known him to own a gun or known him to do anything bats*** like this."
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He described his father as a general contractor in Hawaii who used to own a roofing company. Oran abruptly ended the call with the Daily Mail to find out more about what happened.
According to the paper, his demeanor seemed to change when he texted them later on.
In a rambling text, Oran seemed to justify his father's actions.
"I hate this game every four years, and think that we all do, and if my father wants to be a martyr to how broken and disassociated the process has become from the real problems and practical solutions, then that's his choice," he said. "I'm not saying that's what he's done or what he's about, that's just my own rant being fed up with it all for my entire adult life."
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"South Park said it best," he continued. "Every 4 years we're forced to choose between a turd sandwich and a giant douche, and it all stays f****d in the same ways by different degrees, and we're exhausted and embarrassed by it all."
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