The 56-year-old man who is in FBI custody in connection with the second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump is reportedly a supporter of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and US President Joe Biden. The suspect, identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, hated Trump, according to his son Oran Routh.
"My dad hated Trump like every reasonable person does," Oran told Daily Mail. He added that he, himself, was not a fan of Trump.
"He’s my dad and all he’s had is a couple of traffic tickets, as far as I know," Oran added. "That’s crazy. I know my dad and love my dad, but that’s nothing like him. He’s not a violent person. He’s a hard worker and a great dad. He’s a great dude, a nice guy and has worked his whole life," Oran said.
Oran said he had no clue that his father was in Florida, and assumed he was in Hawaii when the two spoke recently. "He said he was at the beach, but I thought that meant the outer banks in Hawaii," he said. "I didn’t ask him for more information because we’ve had a falling out. We’ve grown apart," Oran added but did not detail the reason for the falling out.
Ryan Routh was apprehended by the police on I-95 about 40 miles (65km) from the golf course after he managed to flee. Besides the
AR-style rifle, Routh left behind two backpacks and a GoPro camera.
Local media reports said Routh had supported Trump in 2020 but later shifted allegiance to Democrats, backing Biden and Harris. Though public records in North Carolina show Routh as an "unaffiliated" voter without a party in 2012, he voted in that state’s Democratic primary in March of this year, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
Routh has also contributed more than $100 to ActBlue, which processes donations for Democrats.
Support for Ukraine
Ryan Routh is said to be an avid Ukraine supporter and has reportedly helped enlist foreign soldiers to Kyiv. He tried to recruit Afghan soldiers fleeing the Taliban to fight in Ukraine and spent several months in the country.
Routh complained that the Ukrainians were being too rigid about admitting Afghan commandos who were facing scepticism and bureaucratic roadblocks in Kyiv. “Ukraine is very often hard to work with. Many foreign soldiers leave after a week in Ukraine or must move from unit to unit to find a place where they are respected and appreciated," he told Semafor.
Routh introduced himself to Semafor as director of a group he’d started called the International Volunteer Centre. He expressed his frustration, stating the Ukrainians believed "anybody and everybody is a Russian spy."
