Suspect lurked 12 hours at Trump course, fired no shots
Ryan Routh, 58, did not have Trump in his line of sight when the Secret Service apprehended him


What happened
The suspect accused of pointing a rifle toward Donald Trump on Sunday camped out at the perimeter of Trump's golf course for nearly 12 hours before he was seen by Secret Service agents, according to cellphone data cited in court documents. Ryan Routh, 58, never had Trump in his line of sight and didn't fire any shots before he was spotted, fired at and fled the scene, Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. said yesterday.
Who said what
The Secret Service's "protective methodologies" were "effective" and the "agents' hypervigilance" and "swift action" were "textbook," Rowe told reporters in Palm Beach. Agents "are rising to this moment" and "meeting the challenges," but "we are redlining them," and Congress should provide more funding for personnel, overtime and facilities. President Joe Biden agreed, telling reporters the Secret Service "needs more help" and lawmakers "should respond to their needs."
Rowe said the Secret Service had to come up with a protective plan quickly on Sunday because Trump "wasn't even really supposed to go there," meaning golf "was not on his official schedule." Rowe "did not clarify" if he meant "agents did not have time to sweep the golf course," The New York Times said, but it's public knowledge that "Trump frequently plays golf at one of his Florida courses on Sundays." Routh probably didn't need to do "very sophisticated surveillance" to discern Trump's location on a Sunday afternoon in Palm Beach, former Secret Service agent Bill Gage said to The Washington Post, and that predictability "gives a bad guy time to prepare."
What next?
Routh, appearing briefly in federal court yesterday, was detained until his next hearing on Sept. 23. He is expected to enter his plea at a Sept. 30 arraignment. The two counts Routh was charged with — owning a gun as a felon and obliterating the weapon's serial number — carry up to 20 years in prison, though additional charges are expected as the investigation continues. "Charging him with an attempted assassination could be complicated by the fact that the suspect never fired his weapon," the Post said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Trump's strikes on Iran: a 'spectacular success'?
In Depth Military humiliations 'expose the brittleness' of Tehran's ageing regime, but risk reinforcing its commitment to its nuclear program
-
Will NATO countries meet their new spending goal?
today's big question The cost of keeping Trump happy
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
Bibi's back: what will Netanyahu do next?
Today's Big Question Riding high after a series of military victories, Israel's PM could push for peace in Gaza – or secure his own position with snap election
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders
-
The ambiguous legal state of ectopic pregnancy care
The Explainer Rep. Kat Cammack's accusations of 'fearmongering' are the latest example of how mixed messages are complicating the debate around abortion