# Breaking news: Trump safe after shots fired near Palm Beach golf club 2024/09/15 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** breaking-news, trump\ **Created:** [September 15, 2024, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312 "2024-09-15T20:01:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/61 "2024-09-16T02:02:47Z")
The Guardian has an article up now from an interview with Routh’s son. Well worth a read. > **[Son of Trump Florida shooter suspect speaks: ‘We still need to stick to the...](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/15/trump-florida-shooter-suspect-son-ukraine)** > > Oran Routh says dad, accused of attempted assassination with unknown motivations, was passionate about Ukraine cause ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/62 "2024-09-16T05:02:03Z")
The suspect’s hair was dyed yellow and blue, as a tribune to Ukraine, I guess. Information that’s come out in the past few hours suggests to me that he’s probably a sovereign citizen. p.s. As for the name, it’s probably pronounced “Ruth.” I used to work with a man whose surname was Routh, so that’s how I know this. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/63 "2024-09-16T05:11:06Z")
Will this attempt finally convince Trump that, contrary to what he claims, not everybody loves and adores him, and as a consequence, he can lose elections? I am glad that he is safe (as I have posted before, I do not wish ill on anybody, not even Trump), but is this the straw that breaks the camel’s back and makes him realize that he’d better dial it back a bit if he is to appeal to more than just his MAGA base? ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/64 "2024-09-16T08:52:41Z")
All the news coverage right now is about how short handed the SS is or how trump isn’t being provided with enough SS coverage. I just wonder why a billionaire wouldn’t pay for some additional security. I know I’d have several private security people if someone had already tried to kill me. I’m glad he’s safe. I can not even imagine the chaos if he’d been killed. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/65 "2024-09-16T08:58:12Z")
I am glad nobody was hurt. It seems like this guy was an avid Ukraine supporter who didn’t like Trump’s views. I didn’t believe in any conspiracy theories about the prior shooting so I am trying hard to not ascribe to any here. Probably just a random nutcase criminal. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/66 "2024-09-16T09:20:06Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > Also, he apparently has a long criminal history record in North Carolina calling into question whether he should have had access to an AK style long gun. If politicians keep fighting against any form of gun control then this sort of thing sooner or later becomes inevitable. Trump may be faced with a choice of either never going outside again or risking his life every time he goes golfing. > [@Spoons](#): > > I am glad that he is safe (as I have posted before, I do not wish ill on anybody, not even Trump), but is this the straw that breaks the camel’s back and makes him realize that he’d better dial it back a bit if he is to appeal to more than just his MAGA base? Pretty sure it’s not. > [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > All the news coverage right now is about how short handed the SS is or how trump isn’t being provided with enough SS coverage. I just wonder why a billionaire wouldn’t pay for some additional security. Because 1) He’s cheap and has a reputation of not paying people who work for him and 2) he’s almost certainly not an actual billionaire. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/67 "2024-09-16T10:16:58Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > and makes him realize that he’d better dial it back a bit if he is to appeal to more than just his MAGA base? didn’t work last time, wont work this time ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/68 "2024-09-16T10:48:26Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > It’s nobody’s sniper rifle of choice. Right. Their tolerances are a bit lose which affects accuracy. But it makes them more reliable and less likely to jam. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/69 "2024-09-16T11:11:59Z")
Apparently this incident was more serious than it was initially reported. It seems unlikely someone prone in the bushes, could be seen from any distance. Especially if the rifle is lying in tall grass. This happened during an early security sweep before Trump started his game? It’s a little disturbing that the Secret Service immediately opens fire when the suspect was reportedly 300 yards away. But I realize details are still dribbling in. The nut might have been dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and easily seen. Deadly to bystanders instead of his target. Of course the Secret Service is hyper-vigilant after the attempt a few weeks ago. Trump is safer now than ever before. The Guardian live feed > [@](#): > > - **Questions will be asked again about the security arrangements around [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) after it appeared he was the victim of a second assassination bid in the space of two months** > - Security forces apprehended a suspect after a gun barrel was spotted in the bushes of **Trump International golf course** in **West Palm Beach** ahead of where the former president was playing. The suspect had fled after security forces opened fire. An AK-47 style assault rifle and scope were recovered from the scene. The FBI called the incident “what appears to be an attempted assassination of the former president” > - In a late night post on his Truth Social account, **Trump** thanked the secret service and other law enforcement for their “incredible job” of keeping him safe. After stating that it had been an “interesting day”, Trump went on to further commend law enforcement officials: “THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!” ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/70 "2024-09-16T11:44:55Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The nut might have been dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and easily seen. Was he? Admittedly I’m not up to speed on all the small details yet, but he wasn’t in the picture of him getting arrested and sitting in the squad car. If he was wearing one earlier and changed it while trying to get away, I’m not sure but I haven’t seen or read anything that suggests it. In any case, I believe he’s from Hawaii, so I wouldn’t look too deeply into that. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/71 "2024-09-16T11:47:41Z")
I was being sarcastic. They haven’t reported what he was wearing. Only that he was spotted during the security sweep. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/72 "2024-09-16T11:50:36Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > It’s a little disturbing that the Secret Service immediately opens fire when the suspect was reportedly 300 yards away. But I realize details are still dribbling in. The nut might have been dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and easily seen. I was under the impression that the Secret Service person was inside the fence with Trump and saw just the barrel of the gun poking through, so didn’t see the person at all. (So if the shooter had been careful to \* ot\* stick the barrel into view, he probably could have got some shots off.) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/73 "2024-09-16T12:31:52Z")
Ryan Wesley Routh has a long and troubled history. I’m relieved no one got hurt yesterday. > **[Man in custody after Trump golf club incident was once convicted of possessing...](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ryan-routh-custody-trump-golf-club-incident-rcna171225)** > > The man was identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58. Property and court records indicate a long criminal past in North Carolina and that he lived most recently in Hawaii. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/74 "2024-09-16T12:34:43Z")
Was Trumps location published? How did the guy know he’d be there? Trump should probably not announce his schedule. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/75 "2024-09-16T13:12:04Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > Trump should probably not announce his schedule. Yeah, my concern is that there is now a bunch of people in the “hold my beer” brigade going all “challenge accepted!” after two failed assassination attempts. Not just for Trump, but any political figure who says and does things some armed nutbar doesn’t like. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/76 "2024-09-16T13:20:24Z")
My husband, listening to NPR, said that the secret service’s usual approach to securing golf courses for people at a lower level than the current president is to send guys to the next hole to check it out. And it’s those guys who saw the gunman. It sounds like those protocols basically did the job they are supposed to do. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/77 "2024-09-16T13:41:06Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > > [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > > > It’s nobody’s sniper rifle of choice. > > Right. Their tolerances are a bit lose which affects accuracy. But it makes them more reliable and less likely to jam. I see the maximum effective range of an AK47 listed as 350m. Max effective is the furthest you can be reasonably sure you can hit what you aim at. It’s different than maximum range which is how far it goes if you lob it in a general direction. It’s not known what kind of variant it was only that it looks like an AK47. It’s possible it was better or worse than a standard model. If there was a scope then there is the issue of if the shooter properly zeroed it or even if he knows how to dial it in. Even with iron sights it would be extremely important to zero the weapon if you are shooting at that range if you have any hope of hitting what you are aiming at. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/78 "2024-09-16T14:15:45Z")
The SS noticed the guy at ~300 yards from themselves, not from trump. Had he successfully remained concealed until he opened fire, the shooter-to-target range may well have been much less. Like 50-100 yards. I haven’t seen any diagrams yet of the shooter’s hide position versus the course layout. Then again I haven’t been looking for such. _If_ he set up near a tee box or a green, there would have been lots of time where the target was standing very still and fairly close. Much like the previous shooter, this guy seems to be somebody who’s a) nutty, and b) not necessarily any good with a rifle. He evidently sucks at the basics of infantry concealment. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/79 "2024-09-16T14:17:45Z")
The Kremlin has dropped a statement about how “playing with fire” has consequences, making me think a Russian agent posing as a Ukrainian set this whole thing up: > **[Kremlin says Trump shooter's Ukrainian links show playing with fire has...](https://news.yahoo.com/news/kremlin-alleged-trump-shooters-ukrainian-094610101.html)** > > MOSCOW (Reuters) -The Kremlin said on Monday that the Ukrainian links of the alleged shooter in the assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump showed that "playing with fire" had consequences. The remark was a clear reference to the... ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312/80 "2024-09-16T14:23:57Z")
It’s plausible, especially if they were lucky enough to find someone who wanted to do it anyway like with the Reichstag fire. Then give him the AK-47. It would explain why he didn’t buy a more suitable gun. Plus as a bonus to Putin the chances of success are low. Plus you can blame Ukraine because Ukraine also has some AKs. Obviously the facts might contradict this in the end but all the pieces seem to be logical. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-trump-safe-after-shots-fired-near-palm-beach-golf-club-2024-09-15/1007312.md?page=5)