suspect Second failed attempt to assassinate Trump, Ryan Routh must have relied on “poor man’s surveillance” to target the 45th president, as he waited outside a golf club for nearly 12 hours before his arrest on Sunday.
Bill Stanton, a former NYPD officer and executive security expert, spoke to Fox News Digital on Tuesday about the security failures surrounding the second Trump assassination attempt. While authorities have not yet confirmed how Routh knew Trump would be at that golf course on Sunday afternoon, Stanton said the suspect may have used a laser focus on Trump — which he called “Forest Gump focus,” a nod to the 1994 classic film — and may have tracked down a location by simply Googling Trump’s frequent non-campaign activities.
“If you have someone like Forrest Gump … he might do research on Google like a traveler would,” Stanton said, and before going to Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach he simply searched, “Where does Trump usually go when he’s at home in Florida?”
“If I’m that guy, I’ll do that, and then I’ll be on watch like a poor man,” Stanton said, explaining that the suspect will keep his eyes open until Trump’s caravan arrives.
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Members of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department patrol outside the Trump International Golf Club on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (MEGA for Fox News Digital)
Stanton said Routh may have been keeping an eye on the club for Trump’s motorcade. “I think (Trump) will have a lead car. I think he will have his main car and then a follow car. So it’s a small motorcade. There will be at least three cars, not to mention the front car. So there will be about four cars and (Rauth) may have anticipated that,” he said.
On Sunday afternoon, news broke that Trump was safely evacuated from the course at his Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach amid reports of gunfire around him. Trump was uninjured in the incident, which is being investigated as a possible assassination attempt, with the suspect identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58-year-old man from Hawaii.
Federal authorities on Monday released arraignment papers on Routh’s charges related to the suspected attempted murder, and noted that Routh’s phone was found near the golf club for nearly 12 hours, from about 1:59 a.m. Sunday to about 1:31 a.m. that same day.
“Agent Requested from T-Mobile“On an emergency basis, to provide law enforcement with information relating to Routh’s mobile phone use. Those records indicate that Routh’s mobile phone was located around the area along the tree line from approximately 1:59 a.m. to approximately 1:31 a.m. on September 15,” the charging document reads.
Would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh camped out for 12 hours under cover of darkness: court documents
Routh was arrested shortly after 1:30 a.m. Sunday after he allegedly pointed an AK-47-style rifle through a chain-link fence toward where Trump was playing golf. US Secret Service A policeman guarding the President on the golf course spotted the barrel of a rifle and opened fire on the suspect.
Although there has been no confirmation from authorities as to how Routh knew of Trump’s whereabouts, Trump’s love for golf has been well-documented throughout his political career.
BEDMINSTER, NEW JERSEY – AUGUST 10: Former President Donald Trump hits his shot from the second tee during the Pro-Am prior to the LIV Golf Invitational – Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club on August 10, 2023 in Bedminster, New Jersey. (Mike Stobbe/Getty Images)
Trump assassination attempt suspect smiles and laughs during first court appearance in Florida
Trump often plays golf on holidays and weekends when he is not on the campaign trail. Left-wing media outlets criticized Trump during his presidency Playing a Round of GolfThis included keeping track of how many days he spent on the course and comparing the figures to visits to the grounds by former President Barack Obama.
The New York Post’s exclusive report this week also revealed Routh’s location near a golf course, which is typically a hotspot for paparazzi.
Stanton pointed out that everyone is a creature of habit, but it is up to the Secret Service to accommodate Trump’s schedule.
Bill Stanton is a security expert and author of “Prepared Not Scared: Your Go-To Guide for Staying Safe in an Unsafe World.” (Bill Staunton)
“It is not the job of the protected individual — in this case, former President Trump — to be told what he can and cannot do. It is up to the Secret Service to accommodate President Trump’s wishes and travels, not the other way around. The tail does not wag the dog. The dog wags the tail,” said Stanton, author of the 2019 book “Prepared Not Scared: Your Go-To Guide for Staying Safe in an Unsafe World.”
“We’re all creatures of habit, especially when you’re in your house. We think we’re not creatures of habit. The way Google predicts, we’re the same way in the real world: We go get coffee. We go to the gym, etc. etc. Now with Trump it’s a little more subtle because he’s everywhere,” Stanton said.
Ryan W. Routh, suspected of trying to assassinate Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump at a West Palm Beach golf course, is arrested during a traffic stop near Palm City, Florida, USA, on September 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office/Handout via Reuters)
Trump spoke to Fox Digital on Monday and blamed the rhetoric promoted by Democrats, particularly President Biden and Vice President Kamala HarrisHe was attacked with intent to kill on Sunday.
“(The suspect) believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris and he acted accordingly,” Trump said in the interview. “Because of their rhetoric, I’m getting shot at, when I’m the one who’s supposed to save the country, and they’re the ones destroying the country — both from the inside and the outside.”
Ryan Routh, the armed man arrested at Trump golf course, used to post a lot about Trump and politics
“It’s called the internal enemy. They’re the real threat,” Trump said.
In his remarks to Fox Digital, Stanton said the US is facing a “storm of heightened political rhetoric” that can cause people to become “self-radicalized.”
“You have these keyboard warriors. It’s like a drug. They go out, and spew all their hatred and venom online,” he said. “(The Internet) has allowed these people to drown in their own psychosis. And then, when that drug isn’t enough, now you see it going from the cyber world into the real world, like in ‘The Matrix.'”
Trump assassination attempt suspect Ryan Routh is seen being taken into custody on Sunday, September 15, 2024, in bodycam footage released Monday. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office)
Stanton said the attempt could have been far worse had it been carried out by trained professionals or a “super villain” who could not only get close to Trump, like Routh, but also launch a “mischievous attack” against the 45th president.
Stanton warned, “This mentally ill individual (Routh) who by all standards is essentially — using an old school term — a failure, is capable of getting within 100 yards. Think about that if you have an organized team of two or three people.”
The security expert called for Trump to be provided with the “highest level” of security, but not full presidential protection because that would require halting air traffic and closing major highways.
“We see trillions of dollars being sloshed around, and you’re telling me you can’t just put additional personnel on somebody who’s already been targeted,” Stanton said.
Trump campaign national press secretary Caroline Levitt told Fox News Digital that the 45th president has repeatedly called on the federal government to provide additional security, and also praised the agents protecting Trump on Sunday.
“President Trump is grateful to his personal security force, the USSS, who acted quickly and courageously during another assassination attempt. President Trump has repeatedly requested more resources for his protection,” he said.
Trump International Golf Club is shown on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Lynn Sladky)
Fox News Digital investigated Routh’s possible social media accounts on Sunday evening, and found that he had repeatedly posted about Trump, the war in Ukraine, the 2020 election, as well as an attempted assassination of Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July.
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“You and Biden should meet the injured For example, in a July 17 reply message sent to Harris’s X account, Routh said, “Trump would never do anything for her to go from a Trump rally to being hospitalized and attending a funeral of a slain fireman … show the world what compassion and humanity is.”
In another X post published on April 22, Routh quoted a phrase commonly used by the Harris campaign, saying, “Democracy is on the ballot and we can’t lose.”
“Your campaign should be called something like KADAF. Keep America Democratic and Free. Trump must be MASA… Americans must be made slaves again. Democracy is on the ballot and we cannot lose. We cannot afford to fail. The world is looking to us to lead the way,” the post read in July, before Biden dropped out of the race and Harris ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket.
FBI investigators collect evidence from the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (MEGA for Fox News Digital)
Routh also announced on X during the 2020 election cycle that Trump was his “choice” in 2016, but he backed away completely during the 2020 election.
Fox News Digital contacted the FBI and Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office Contacts for any information on how Routh knew Trump would be hitting the course on Sunday did not immediately receive a response. The Secret Service referred Fox Digital to the FBI when contacted about the same inquiry.
Raut was arrested He was found dead in his car on I-95 after authorities issued a BOLO (also known as a “be on the lookout” alert) to law enforcement agencies on Sunday afternoon.
Courtroom sketch depicting Routh in federal court on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Lothar Speer)
Raut brought to federal court On Monday morning, when he was seen laughing and smiling before appearing in court for the first time in the case.
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He is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with the serial number obliterated. Additional charges could be filed against him, officials said.
Raut’s bail plea will be heard on September 23 and he will be arraigned on September 30.
Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this story.
