Trump Update: Secret Service Opens Fire Seconds Before Apparent Second Assassination Attempt

We were very close to discussing a national tragedy yet again. The U.S. Secret Service spotted a gun and opened fire at a golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, preventing an apparent second assassination attempt on President Donald Trump’s life. The suspected gunman, Ryan Wesley Routh, fled before being eventually apprehended almost 50 miles away.

The alleged assassin had chosen a place on the edge of the golf course. He placed body armor plates on the fence, had an “AK-47 style rifle with a scope” attached, and a GoPro filming the entire operation. Secret Service agents noticed the gun barrel sticking out of the fence and opened fire, scaring the gunman off.

Routh has been arraigned and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and a firearm with an obliterated serial number. So far, no charges for an assassination attempt have been filed, but charges can be amended later as more information comes out.

Apparently, Routh has been very outspoken against Trump in the last few years, after originally voting for Trump in 2016 and then becoming disenfranchised  – and radicalized – later. He also tried to recruit soldiers to fight in Ukraine and rally support for the Ukrainian war.

Yet he’s another example of a well-known, troubled individual who voiced dangerous rhetoric. He published a book in 2023 calling for Iran to kill Trump. Even Newsweek interviewed Routh on camera in 2022. How does someone like this not attract the attention of authorities?

After Trump’s initial assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, we saw a cooling of the disgusting rhetoric against the former President. The far Left wasn’t comparing him to Hitler nearly as much. However, they immediately ramped up calling Trump a threat to democracy once again that must be stopped. We shouldn’t be surprised when deranged radicals like Routh are encouraged to take dangerous action.

Since the attempted assassin is still alive – most don’t survive – we have an opportunity to find out more about this individual. What finally pushed him over the edge? Did he act alone? Was he approached by any foreign entities from Ukraine or Iran? All these questions must be answered.

We are just two months removed from Trump getting shot and another American killed at the rally in Pennsylvania. And now we have a second apparent attempt foiled by the Secret Service. The rhetoric must change by the far Left before the worst scenario happens.

It’s unthinkable an alleged assassin could get so close to President Trump again. Why aren’t the proper resources being allocated to protect Trump? ACLJ Senior Counsel for Global Affairs Mike Pompeo reacted to the latest failures to protect President Trump:

Knowing that this would-be assassin was able to get so close . . . it’s pretty clear that whatever it is they did in the aftermath of the first attempt . . . is insufficient to protect President Trump. And I say this broadly: I suspect they’re not doing enough for others who are under threat as well. I want Vice President Harris to be protected too. . . . When someone gets within several hundred meters of the former President at a private golf facility, that is a demonstration of a failed leadership and process inside the Secret Service [and] inside DHS. Frankly, ultimately, the responsibility falls to President Biden.

Secretary Pompeo is correct. The Biden-Harris Administration failed to provide the needed Secret Service protection to keep Trump safe. Something must change.

If you remember, ACLJ filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request into the Secret Service failures surrounding the first attempt on President Trump. After what happened this weekend, Americans clearly need answers more than ever.

Senator Josh Hawley (MO) just released a report on the investigation into the immense security failures. The report states: “The resulting findings are highly damaging to the credibility of the Secret Service and DHS. . . . They reveal a compounding pattern of negligence, sloppiness, and gross incompetence that goes back years, all of which culminated in an assassination attempt that came inches from succeeding.” Just how badly did the Secret Service botch protecting Trump?

The ACLJ will never stop shining a light on government corruption and incompetence. Sign our petition to demand answers and for President Trump and other Presidents to be properly protected.

Today’s Sekulow broadcast included a full analysis of the apparent second attempt to assassinate President Trump.

Watch the full broadcast below: