Trump assassination attempt suspect's son says dad hated Trump, 'not a violent person'

FILE-Law enforcement secure the area around Trump International Golf Club after an apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on September 15, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The son of the suspected shooter arrested in a second assassination attempt on Donald Trump said his father hated the former president but contends that he was not a violent person. 

Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect, was arrested by local authorities on Sunday.  

Routh’s son, Oran, told the Daily Mail that his dad disliked Trump adding that he himself was not a fan. FOX News reported that Oran Routh was in disbelief that his father would resort to violence and target Trump. 

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"He's my dad and all he's had is a couple traffic tickets, as far as I know," Oran said. "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," FOX News noted, citing the Daily Mail. 

Oran also told the Daily Mail that his father had been living in Hawaii for several years when his dad told him he was at the beach, but the son explained to the media outlet that he thought his father was referring to being on the beach in Hawaii. 

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Ryan Wesley Routh was hiding in shrubbery nearly 500 yards away from Trump when he pointed an AK-style rifle with a scope as the Republican presidential candidate was playing golf at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. 

The former president was rushed to safety after Secret Service agents fired shots at Ryan Wesley Routh, who was later arrested in a neighboring county.

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The father frequently posted on social media about the war in Ukraine and had a website where he sought to raise money and recruit volunteers to go to Kyiv to join the fight against the Russian invasion. He has also made posts on X, formerly Twitter, directed at Trump, including one in July after the first assassination attempt on the former president in Pennsylvania, as he urged President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to visit those wounded in the shooting at the hospital and to attend the funeral of a former fire chief killed at the rally.