EXPOSITORY DIALOGUE

Suspected Trump Golf Course Gunman Did Interview With NYT Last Year

Few details have been released about Ryan Wesley Routh, who allegedly carried an AK-47-style rifle and scope onto the grounds near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club.

Ryan Wesley Routh, the gunman suspected of being involved in a second assassination plot on former president Donald Trump, was interviewed by The New York Times in 2023 about the U.S. civilian war effort in Ukraine. The 58-year-old man, who had no military history, told reporters he traveled to the country following Russia’s 2022 invasion and also wanted to recruit Afghan soldiers to fight there. “I’m just a U.S. citizen that’s helping out,” Routh told the Times, adding that he once went to Washington D.C. to meet with politicians and drum up support for Ukraine. Few details have been released about Routh, who allegedly carried an AK-47-style rifle and scope onto the grounds near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club. His social media, however, feature slews of posts and messaging about his support for the Ukrainian forces in their continued fight against Russia. The Daily Beast also found two websites—one for Ukraine and another for a theoretical future conflict between China and Taiwan— prominently displaying Routh’s contact information—dedicated to sending foreign soldiers overseas.