Just two months after the Butler, Pennsylvania, shooting incident, former President Donald Trump faced another alleged assassination attempt in Florida on Sunday. Following the attack, Donald Trump Jr. took to X (formerly Twitter) to claim that the assailant, Ryan Wesley Routh, was a Democrat donor and a supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Sharing a video of Republican vice-presidential pick J.D. Vance addressing the event, Trump Jr. wrote, “Where’s the lie? A Democrat donor with a Kamala Harris bumper sticker on his car tried to assassinate my dad yesterday.”
Vance, in his speech, emphasized the perceived ideological differences between conservatives and liberals. As Vanity Fair reported, Vance stated, “The big difference between conservatives and liberals is that no one has tried to kill Kamala Harris in the last couple of months.” He pointed to the two recent assassination attempts on Donald Trump as evidence that the Left should tone down its rhetoric.
I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes – It was certainly an interesting day! Most importantly, I want to thank the U.S. Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his Office of brave and dedicated Patriots, and, all of Law Enforcement, for the incredible…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 16, 2024
Donald Trump himself addressed the situation on X later that evening. He wrote, “I want to thank the U.S. Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his office of brave and dedicated patriots, and all of law enforcement, for the incredible job done today at Trump International in keeping me… SAFE. THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!”
Vice President Harris, her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and President Joe Biden expressed relief that the suspect had been apprehended, according to CNN. Despite their statements, Trump didn’t hold back from blaming them for the second attempt on his life. He remarked, “Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country.”
Trump also referenced past remarks from Biden and Harris, who have called him a “threat to democracy” while portraying themselves as unifiers. As reported by Fox News, Trump countered, “They are the opposite. These are people that want to destroy our country. It is called the enemy from within. They are the real threat.”
The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, was reportedly armed with an AK-47-style rifle, a GoPro camera, and two backpacks. Authorities revealed that he had waited over 12 hours to get a clear shot at Trump but failed to carry out any harm.