Trump suspect in “world of hurt,” state attorney warns

The man charged in Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump is in for a “world of hurt,” according to Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg of Florida.

Officials have charged Ryan Routh, 58, with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number after, authorities said, a Secret Service agent saw Routh pointing the barrel of a rifle through a tree-lined fence along the perimeter of Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida, where the former president was golfing that morning. Trump was unharmed and no other injuries were reported.

Routh was reportedly within 500 yards of the former president when the agent noticed him and opened fire, according to law enforcement, spurring Routh to flee in a vehicle. He was later taken into custody in a nearby county.

Aronberg said during an appearance on CNN Monday night that the charges against Routh “will stick” throughout the court process, and that there is a chance “more charges could come” as the investigation progresses.

“Make no mistake, I think this guy is in a whole world of hurt,” Aronberg told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “He’s going to be facing many years in prison, and he’s not going to get out of jail pending trial. They’re going to show that he’s a danger to the community, so he’s not going to get pretrial release.”

Routh, who lived in North Carolina for most of his life before moving to Hawaii in 2018, is a former construction worker who has been arrested eight times. In December 2002, Routh pleaded guilty in North Carolina to possessing an unregistered fully automatic gun, stripping his right to own a firearm. He was also convicted in March 2010 of multiple counts of possession of stolen goods, per arrest records reviewed by Newsweek.

Under Florida state law, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is a second-degree felony and punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Possession of a firearm with an altered or removed serial number is a third-degree felony, publishable by up to five years in prison.

Routh made his first court appearance Monday morning at Paul G. Rogers Federal Courthouse in West Palm Beach. He arrived with shackles across his arms and legs. According to reports from inside the courtroom, the suspect did not speak much and repeatedly shook his head.

Aronberg told Newsweek in a message over X, formerly Twitter, on Monday that there is “a good chance Routh will face additional charges as the investigation continues.” He also expects that the suspect will be “denied any pre-trial release because he poses a danger to the community.”

“Routh will plead not guilty to all his charges,” Aronberg added when asked if he expects prosecutors to seek a plea deal. “There could be a plea deal at some point, but it will almost certainly involve significant prison time. His long rap sheet, combined with the seriousness of his alleged crimes and their impact upon our country, will impact his sentencing in any future trial.”

Investigators have not provided a potential motive behind the apparent assassination attempt, though Routh has been linked to a deep support of Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion. The suspect spoke to Newsweek Romania in June 2022 about working to recruit volunteers for the International Legion Defense of Ukraine, a unit of Ukraine’s Ground Forces, although members of the legion have described Routh as “delusional.”

“He [Routh] was combative,” Evelyn Aschenbrenner, a U.S. citizen from Detroit who worked with the International Legion, told Newsweek in an exclusive interview when asked about working with Routh. “He was argumentative. He refused repeatedly to understand basic army policy.”

Trump called Routh a “dangerous person” during an interview that was livestreamed on X Monday night, adding, “You wouldn’t want to have somebody like that out there.”

Update 09/16/24, 11:32 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional comment from Aronberg.