Trump 'assassination attempt': Suspect charged after second apparent plot

The acting director of the Secret Service said the agency needs to undergo a complete overhaul of how it protects presidents — a remarkable admission following a second apparent attempt on the Trump’s life in two months. 

“Coming out of Butler, I have ordered a paradigm shift,” Ronald Rowe said at a news conference today, referring to the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. “The Secret Service’s protective methodologies work and they are sound, and we saw that yesterday.”

But, he added, “we need to get out of a reactive model and get to a readiness model.”

Rowe did not go into detail about his vision for the nearly 160-year-old agency. His comments come at a pivotal moment for the Secret Service, which has been under heavy scrutiny since a gunman managed to fire several rounds at Trump at the rally in Pennsylvania, striking his ear, in the Secret Service’s biggest security failure since President Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded in 1981. One person was killed at the July 13 rally, and two other people were injured.

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Golf courses are the most concerning sites for the Secret Service to secure because someone under protection will spend hours there and is exposed to many lines of sight, multiple officials with knowledge of operations said.

Based on the sources’ experiences, they had not closed a golf course for a sitting or a former president to avoid disruption to other guests, like members of the Trump clubs or other private courses.

Biden, for example, is known to play at a Delaware country club that is not closed while he is there.

Instead, agents use what is described as a “rolling bubble” around the person being protected, in which agents operate with a moving perimeter a couple of holes in front of and behind the person.

The agent who spotted Routh yesterday as Trump was golfing in Florida was working ahead of Trump’s location on the course, which reflects the rolling bubble strategy, according to the officials.

Trump spoke out about the apparent assassination attempt on him while he was at his West Palm Beach golf club during an interview on X Spaces.

He described the suspect as a “dangerous person” and praised the Secret Service for its protection.

NBC News’ Ellison Barber describes her interactions with Ryan Routh, now accused in connection with what authorities say was an apparent assassination attempt targeting Trump, while she and her crew were in Kiev covering the war in Ukraine.

The Secret Service is facing renewed scrutiny over yesterday’s apparent assassination attempt. The latest incident comes two months after Trump was shot at a Pennsylvania campaign event in July.

Biden spoke with Trump today and “conveyed his relief” that Trump is safe, a White House official said.

“The two shared a cordial conversation and former President Trump expressed his thanks for the call,” the official said.

The suspect did not fire at the Secret Service agent who spotted a rifle in the treeline at Trump’s Florida golf club, officials said today.

Ronald Rowe, the agency’s acting director, said at a news conference that Trump was moving through the fifth fairway around 1:30 p.m. when a Secret Service agent “engaged” Routh.

Trump was not in his line of sight at the time, Rowe said. 

Trump was playing golf during an “off the record movement” that was not on his public schedule, Rowe said.

The Trump campaign asked the Secret Service for increased security this morning after yesterday’s incident, two sources familiar with the request told NBC News. 

A spokesman for the Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It is not clear how the Secret Service has responded to the request. 

Two other sources familiar with the Secret Service’s security response said it has dramatically increased Trump’s security since July 13.

One said the Secret Service is doing all it can to protect Trump while also preparing for the United Nations General Assembly next week and protecting President Joe Biden and other candidates in the presidential race.

That source said additional resources would require additional funding from Congress.

New body camera video from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, shared exclusively with NBC News, shows the detainment of Ryan Wesley Routh from the view of the deputy who arrested him. 

The video shows Routh backing up toward deputies, complying with verbal commands. He’s seen being placed in handcuffs and asked what his name is. 

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office has set up multiple security checkpoints in and out of Summit Boulevard, where the entrance of the golf club is.

The sheriff's office has patrol cars and bright orange cones at the entrance of Summit and Congress Avenue and at Summit and Kirk Road. Orange tape with the wording “active crime scene do not cross” is also weaved around entry points.

The sheriff’s office is allowing only media and those who work at businesses along Summit Boulevard past the security points. The businesses mostly appear to be government buildings, which include the Palm Beach County Library. The stretch of road leading up to the entrance of the golf club is quiet, and there is a slight breeze. Perfectly manicured palm trees line the road.

A news conference is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET at the sheriff’s office for the latest on the investigation.

Homeland Security Investigations has 1,500 agents detailed to help the Secret Service with security, and most are preparing for the United Nations General Assembly next week, according to two law enforcement officials.

Four HSI agents were at the golf course in Florida yesterday, which officials say that is fewer than were in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a bullet grazed Trump in an assassination attempt during a rally in July.

In total, 270 HSI agents are detailed to presidential campaigns. Officials say the requests from HSI on Secret Service have increased in recent years, which comes at the expense of its investigations into fentanyl, child exploitation, human trafficking and other cases.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement today: “We are grateful the former President is safe.”

“The FBI is continuing to investigate what appears to be an assassination attempt of former President Trump that occurred yesterday in Florida,” Garland said. “The entire Justice Department — including the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, and the National Security Division — is coordinating closely with our law enforcement partners on the ground.”

“We will work tirelessly to ensure accountability, and we will bring every available resource to bear in this investigation,” he added.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office shared video today of the moment deputies arrested Routh yesterday. 

The short clip shows multiple officers wearing bulletproof vests as one officer orders the suspect to step backward with his arms raised. Routh, wearing sunglasses, complies, lifting his shirt over the back of his head. When he is close to the officers, he is detained without incident. 

A criminal complaint against Routh reveals more details about yesterday's apparent assassination attempt.

In addition to a witness account, Routh was confirmed to be the suspect using phone records that located him in “the vicinity of the area along the tree line” of Trump International Golf Club from 1:59 a.m. until 1:31 p.m. yesterday, the complaint said.

At 1:31 p.m., a Secret Service agent assigned to Trump’s security detail was walking the perimeter of the Golf Club in West Palm Beach when the agent saw what appeared to be a rifle poking out of a tree line.

The agent fired their service weapon in the direction of the rifle, and a witness saw a man, later identified as Routh, fleeing the area of the tree line, entering a Nissan sport utility vehicle and leaving at a high rate of speed. 

In the area of the tree line where Routh fled, agents found a digital camera, two bags, a loaded SKS-style 7.62x39 caliber rifle with a scope and a black plastic bag containing food. The serial number on the rifle “was obliterated and unreadable to the naked eye,” the complaint said.

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, appears in court today in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Martin County Sheriff William D. Snyder said that thanks to the help of a quick-thinking witness who snapped a photo of suspect Ryan Routh and his vehicle’s tag, law enforcement was able to quickly locate and detain him without incident yesterday.

When Routh was detained, “his facial affect was very bland. He was not emoting any emotions at all. He made no statements,” Snyder told reporters Monday.

The sheriff called yesterday’s work “the highest-profile stop the county has ever made,” thanking his officers for avoiding a car chase situation. He said that his officers were able to locate the vehicle on I-95, surround him and maneuver him to stop.

Snyder said to his knowledge Routh had no ties to Martin County.

Ryan Wesley Routh has been charged with two federal counts: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

During his initial court appearance, he revealed he has a 25-year-old son. When asked about his earnings, he told the judge he has no money to his name and owns two trucks in Hawaii worth about $1,000 each.

He appeared calm and nonchalant in court as he responded to the judge's questions. The hearing took place in a matter of minutes.

He is being represented by a public defender and is due back in court for a bond hearing next Monday, Sept. 23.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says the state will conduct its own investigation into yesterday's apparent assassination attempt against Donald Trump.

The investigation will be conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Florida Highway Patrol.

“The people deserve the truth about the would be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee,” DeSantis wrote on X. 

Suspect Ryan Wesley Routh appeared in federal court in West Palm Beach this morning, shackled in a blue jumpsuit with a fairly emotionless expression.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe is presiding the bench.

President Biden briefly spoke to reporters about the apparent assassination attempt against former President Trump. Biden was thankful Trump was safe and urged Congress to work with the Secret Service to address their needs.

Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in yesterday’s apparent attempted assassination, will have his first appearance in court at 10 a.m.

He’ll appear at the Paul G. Rogers Federal Building and U.S. Court House in West Palm Beach Florida, the Clerk’s Office at the Southern District, West Palm Beach division said. 

Ukraine's international legion, a section of the country's military that features foreign volunteers, has rejected any suggestion of links to Ryan Routh.

Routh, an outspoken activist who spent months in Ukraine to aid its defense against Russia's ongoing invasion, told media outlets that he was working to recruit fighters.

"We would like to clarify that Ryan Wesley Routh has never been part of, associated with, or linked to the International Legion in any capacity. Any claims or suggestions indicating otherwise are entirely inaccurate," the legion told NBC News by email.

It added that the Ukrainian military does not and would not get involved in discussions related to domestic U.S. politics.

Ronald Rowe, the acting director of the U.S. Secret Service, is in Florida this morning, according to an agency official. 

He’ll spend the morning meeting with local and federal law enforcement partners and will do a walk-through of Trump's golf course this afternoon. Officials are also working to align schedules for a meeting between Rowe and Trump but that’s not locked in yet.

When Trump was golfing Sunday, his outing was considered an off-the-record protectee movement, not a planned or scheduled event, and his security apparatus included counter assault, counter surveillance, counter-sniper teams as well as a a protective intelligence unit and a drone contingent, according to an official with knowledge of the plans. 

NBC News’ Tom Winter describes what is known so far about suspect Ryan Wesley Routh one day after he was arrested over an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and the potential charges he faces.

Martin County Sheriff Martin D. Snyder spoke about chasing down the man suspected in what the FBI is calling an assassination attempt on Trump. Snyder described the maneuvers to stop Ryan Wesley Routh on a busy I-95 interstate highway and how he reacted to being taken into custody.

Former FBI special agent Clint Watts told NBC's "TODAY" show this morning that after yesterday's apparent attempt on Trump's life, there's a "worry really now of copycats."

 "We’re in this period that known as stochastic terrorism," he said. "Essentially, you know what the target's going to be but you don’t know who the attacker is going to be and you don’t have a lot of threat intelligence on him."

Watts noted that the suspect in yesterday's case had a "scattered history, very checkered past" where his social media history showed a focus on Ukraine and talk about Taiwan.

He referenced the 2011 shooting attack of then-Rep. Gabby Giffords during a constituents meeting in Arizona, saying such outings are "very difficult to do that whenever you have a scenario where people with assault rifles can have stand off, can go after a target that’s known."

"Former President Trump, he was just targeted two months ago and we still have somebody showing up just a few hundreds yards away trying to repeat that attack. So very dangerous time for the country and for all of our leaders," Watts warned.

An eyewitness who saw the police enter a standoff with a man who was arrested in connection with an apparent assassination attempt on Trump has spoken of the "scary" and "chaotic" scenes he and his family witnessed.

Daniel Rodriguez, 16, told NBC News that he was in a car with his mother and father on I-95 when they saw a black Nissan car speeding up with police cars in pursuit, while a helicopter hovered overhead.

He said a standoff between the driver of the Nissan and armed officers lasted for two hours.

"We saw multiple officers with their rifles drawn," he said. "It looked like an intense standoff."

"We were actually very, very scared," he added

Ryan Routh, the man arrested yesterday in connection with what authorities called an apparent assassination attempt on Trump, had previously criticized the former president on social media.

Writing on X, then called Twitter, in June 2020, he said: "@realDonaldTrump While you were my choice in 2106 [sic], I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment and it seems you are getting worse and devolving; are you retarded; I will be glad when you gone [sic]."

Routh also used X to signal his support for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and referred to President Joe Biden as "Sleepy Joe."

In one post also in 2020, he said: "Bernie.... give them hell..... fight to the death."

Routh's X account is now suspended.

The Secret Service needs more help when it comes to perimeter security, former Secret Service agent and NBC News contributor Evy Poumpouras said this morning.

Speaking on the apparent assassination attempt on former President Trump, she told NBC's "TODAY" show: "We’re looking about 300 to 500 yards — that’s about like three football fields at minimum, it’s a far distance."

"I think at this point it’s really all hands on deck. Secret Service has maxed out their people. They have finite resources at this moment. Long term can they get more agents? Absolutely. But right now, they should be talking and probably are talking to law enforcement partners, asking for more assets," she said,

She also noted that the United Nations General Assembly in New York is coming up and protection is provided by the U.S. Secret Service to foreign heads of state, marking another event that will require intense man resources to protect world leaders.

NBC News briefly spoke with Routh while in Ukraine covering the war in 2022, after contacting a number on a sign seeking to recruit fighters.

In June 2022 messages to NBC News, Routh said he was trying to push for action and support for the Ukrainian cause, and ensure it remained a global focus.

 “This moment is an indictment of the entire human race and the limited response is extremely disappointing,” he wrote in the message.

NBC News did not conduct a formal interview with Routh, speak to him in person or include him in past coverage of the war.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he is "very worried" by what he said looked like an attempt to kill Donald Trump yesterday.

Starmer told journalists while on a trip to Rome: "I was very worried by the news about this attempt. Looks like an assassination attempt, very worried about it."

In remarks reported by Sky News, he continued: "Obviously, there’s now an investigation going on so I won’t say much more about the details, but I think it is really important that we’re all very, very clear that violence has no part to play at all in any political process."

"So, deeply troubled. Let the investigation take its place. But absolute clarity: violence, no place in political discussion at all, anywhere."

The FBI is investigating what it says is another apparent “assassination attempt” on Trump. The latest incident renews focus on the Secret Service just months after the previous assassination attempt. NBC News’ Kelly O’Donnell reports.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was glad Trump was "safe and unharmed" after what authorities called an apparent attempted assassination yesterday.

"It’s good that the suspect in the assassination attempt was apprehended quickly, " Zelenskyy said on X. "This is our principle: the rule of law is paramount and political violence has no place anywhere in the world. We sincerely hope that everyone remains safe."

Dmitry Medvedev, a former president and current deputy chair of the Security Council, referenced reports that the suspect in yesterday's alleged plot, Ryan Routh, is an avid supporter of Ukraine.

"I wonder what would happen if it turned out that the failed new Trump shooter Routh, who recruited mercenaries for the Ukrainian army, was himself hired by the neo-nazi regime in Kiev for this assassination attempt?" Medvedev wrote on X.

Questions will inevitably be raised about the role of the Secret Service before, during and after yesterday's apparent attempted assassination.

But Robert McDonald, a former senior Secret Service operative and supervisor of President Joe Biden's security detail when he was vice president, said this morning it was a positive day for the service, particularly after the shooting in Pennsylvania in July.

"Compared to 13 July, where the Secret Service had some epic failures in its policies and protocols, this was a very positive reaction by them," he told BBC Radio 4.

He said the service was able to “diligently spot this individual and then make sure the protective measures directly around the former President were enhanced."

“All around, I think it was a good day for the Secret Service — despite this individual getting relatively close," he said.

The son of Ryan Routh, the man suspected of apparently launching an assassination attempt on Trump, has expressed surprised that his father was taken into custody yesterday.

Routh's eldest son, Oran, told CNN by text message that his father was a "loving and caring father, and honest hardworking man."

"I don’t know what’s happened in Florida, and I hope things have just been blown out of proportion, because from the little I’ve heard it doesn’t sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent," he said.

NBC News has contacted Oran Routh for comment.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an ally of the former president, said in a statement that he and his wife, Sara, were "shocked by the second assassination attempt against President Trump and were relieved to hear that it too failed."

He added: "But we should not rely on luck. We send our best wishes to Donald and Melania along with our hopes that all measures will be taken to ensure that such deadly attacks on a candidate for the U.S. presidency will be foiled in advance."

British Interior Minister Yvette Cooper told Sky News: "It’s appalling to see political violence taking place. Violence should have no place in any political campaign, we’re all glad that the former president is safe, and that this attempt, whatever it was that happened, was not successful."

One person is in custody after shots were fired yesterday in what the FBI is calling an apparent second "attempted assassination" on former President Donald Trump. Now, his campaign and the Harris campaign are reacting. NBC News’ Hallie Jackson has more.