'Ready to die for freedom and democracy': Alleged Trump shooter writes letter to media

26 November 2024

Ryan Wesley Routh — who tried to assassinate then-candidate (and now President-elect) Donald Trump at his Florida golf course in September — recently sent a letter to media outlets from prison explaining why he tried to murder him.

Politico writer and former federal prosecutor Ankush Khardori received one of the letters, with the other going to the Palm Beach Post. While Khardori didn't publish the letter in its entirety, he included several key excerpts in an essay remarking on America's highly polarized political climate.

Routh wrote the letter prior to the November 5 election, and included his wishes for Americans both in the event of a Trump win and a Trump loss. If he ended up losing, the would-be assassin called on the country "to encircle the Capitol" in order to prevent another January 6-style attempt by his supporters to lay siege to Congress.

In the event of Trump winning the general election, Routh expressed hope that President Joe Biden's administration would take steps to "limit all Presidential power before Trump seizes our country." He also urged the American public "to remove the power of our military by the President and place it with Congress before January" out of fear that Trump — whom he described as a "dictator" — would use the military for his own ends.

While Routh has not yet been formally convicted of any crimes, he referred to himself in the letter as the "alleged Trump shooter" and compared himself to the president-elect's other would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks. In July, Crooks nearly killed Trump at a Pennsylvania rally, which took place just prior to Trump picking Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate. Routh said both he and Crooks were "ready to die for freedom and democracy." Unlike Routh, however, Crooks' motive remains unknown, as he made no indication of his political beliefs before he was shot and killed by Secret Service agents at the rally.

Routh also didn't refrain from mentioning Biden in his letter. He called on both Biden and outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken to strive for peace in the Middle East before leaving office and meet with "the new president of Iran and Hamas, Hezbollah and [the Houthi rebels in Yemen for] as long as it takes."

"We must demand that Israel stop their attacks and demand that all parties come to the table and find common ground," Routh wrote. "My fellowmen, please demand peace."

Khardori opined that it was particularly ironic for a man who attempted to murder a presidential candidate to speak of peace, and made sure to tell readers that Routh's pondering of a new "civil war" was "not a good idea, to put it as mildly as possible." Still, the Politico writer noted that Routh insisted he wasn't a member of either political party but an "independent" who says he votes for "the best candidate."

Aside from Trump and Biden, Routh blasted both major parties, accusing them of rigging the election process to exclude third-party voices. He called for full public financing of political campaigns and to "eliminate private donations" to candidates.

“We all wonder why we end up with such flawed candidates,” Routh wrote, “when our system is designed to exclude most everyone.”

Routh, who is 58 year old, is a native of North Carolina. He reportedly attempted to join the Ukrainian military to fight against Russian invaders but was turned away. He also reportedly tried to enlist former Afghan fighters who fled the country in the wake of the Taliban's takeover in 2021 to join the Ukrainian military.

Click here to read Khardori's full essay about Routh's letter in Politico.

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