Would-be Trump assassin warns of civil war

In a jailhouse letter, the alleged gunman claimed that a victory for the Republican would spell “the end of democracy”

The pro-Ukraine activist accused of planning to kill Donald Trump in Florida has warned that reelecting the former president would plunge the US into a “civil war.” The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, has previously offered a reward for anyone willing to “complete the job” and assassinate Trump.

In a letter written from his jail cell in Miami over the weekend, Routh told the Palm Beach Post that he sees Tuesday’s election as a chance for the US to “choose democracy over a dictator,” warning that a victory for Trump against Kamala Harris would mark “the end of democracy and the beginnings of a civil war.” 

“Will Palm Beach County hand the keys to our nation to the Trumps for the next century or more? How does Palm Beach view its neighbor?” he asked the newspaper.

The letter was signed “Trump Alleged Shooter Ryan W. Routh” and was confirmed as authentic by Routh’s daughter.

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Routh was arrested in September after US Secret Service agents found him aiming a rifle at Trump on the former president’s golf course in West Palm Beach. The 58-year-old was charged with the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, assaulting a law enforcement officer, and unlawful possession of a firearm. He is currently awaiting trial.

A convicted felon, Routh had unsuccessfully attempted to join the Ukrainian military in 2022, and afterwards embarked on a scheme to recruit former Afghan commandos to fight for Kiev in the conflict with Russia.

In a letter written before the assassination attempt and handed to law enforcement in September, Routh lamented his failure to kill the former president.

“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you,” he wrote. “I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job.” 

Two weeks before his letter to the Palm Beach Post, prosecutors had warned that Routh would likely attempt to contact the media.

Routh’s trial is set to begin later this month. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

In addition to his encounter with Routh, Republican presidential candidate Trump narrowly avoided death at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in July, when a bullet fired from around 150 meters away grazed his ear. The gunman, later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired from a rooftop that had inexplicably been left unprotected by the Secret Service. Crooks killed one rally goer and injured two others before he was shot dead by a sniper.