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Ryan Wesley Routh | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Routh's mug shot after his arrest | |
| Born | (1966-02-18)February 18, 1966 (age 59) |
| Education | North Carolina A&T State University |
| Known for | Attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Florida |
| Political party | Independent (since 2012) Democratic (1989-2012) |
| Criminal status | Guilty on all federal charges, state charges pending |
| Spouse | [2] |
| Partner | Kathleen Elizabeth Shaffer (2017-2024)[3][4] |
| Children | 3[5] |
| Motive | Under investigation |
| Convictions | Federal:
|
| Criminal charge | State:
|
| Details | |
| Date | September 15, 2024 |
| Location | Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach |
| Weapon | SKS semiautomatic 7.62x39 caliber rifle |
| Imprisoned at | Federal Detention Center, Miami[1] |
| Signature | |
 | |
Ryan Wesley Routh[a] (born February 18, 1966) is an American roofer and activist whoattempted to assassinate then-former U.S. presidentDonald Trump at hisgolf course during his2024 presidential campaign. The incident occurred two months after Trump surviveda previous assassination attempt while speaking at a campaign rally nearButler, Pennsylvania.[7][4][8]
On September 15, 2024 at 1:59 a.m.EDT, Routh hid in shrubbery holding anSKS-style rifle just outside the fence of the golf course.[9] At 1:31 p.m., after hiding there for nearly twelve hours, Routh pointed his weapon through the fence line, approximately 400 yards away from Trump. ASecret Service agent noticed this and fired four rounds towards Routh, who then fled the scene and was later captured inMartin County.[10] No injuries were reported.
Routh was indicted on five federal charges on September 24, including attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate. Routh was later additionally indicted on three state charges including attemptedfelony murder.[11] Routh pleaded not guilty to all the charges. His trial began on September 8, 2025.[12] Routh chose to fire his public defenders andrepresent himself. Two weeks later on September 23, he was found guilty on all five federal counts.[13] While the verdict was being read in the courtroom, Routh grabbed a pen and attempted to stab himself in the neck, before being tackled by U.S. marshals.[14] Routh faces life in prison, and his sentencing is scheduled for December 18, 2025.[13]
Ryan Wesley Routh was born on February 18, 1966,[15] inGreensboro, North Carolina,[16] to Daniel Wesley Routh and Marjorie Patton Fearing.[17] He was a resident of Greensboro for most of his life,[2] where he attendedNorth Carolina A&T State University for two semesters in 1995.[18] Throughout the 1990's to early 2000's, he ran a roofing business calledUnited Roofing, with a total of 90 employees.[19] In January 1989, Routh married Lora Frances Wilson[2][20] and had two sons and a daughter.[21][22][23][24][25] Routh's former Greensboro neighbors saw Routh and his family as "weird" and "potentially dangerous."[26][27] Routh filed a divorce against Lora on January 22, 2003, which was granted two months later on March 10.[28]
On April 2, 1991, Routh fought and chased 28-year-old Terrance Bryant (born October 28, 1962), a suspected rapist, around an office building. Bryant was also wanted for a string of burglaries, assaults and robberies in both Greensboro and out-of-state inNew York. He was taken into custody later that evening and was sentenced the following year to life inprison in May 1992.[29] For confronting the suspect, Routh was honored as a "super citizen" and awarded a "Law Enforcement Oscar" a few months after the chase by the Greensboro chapter of theInternational Union of Police Associations.[30]
Routh had a very lengthy criminal record prior to the assassination attempt, with the earliest offense occurring in 1997 forlarceny after he was caught stealing valuable items with the intent to keep them. By 2024, Routh had over one hundred criminal counts filed against him, and had been arrested at least eight times. Routh typically received parole or probation for all these offenses, with no record of time that he was in prison.[31][32][33]
On December 15, 2002, Routh was pulled over for driving with a revoked license. He then put his hand on a fully-automatic machine gun he had with him inside the vehicle and then drove to his roofing business, where he barricaded himself inside. After a three-hour stand off with police, Routh surrendered the following day and was convicted for possessing a weapon of mass death and destruction, possessing a firearm, resisting and delaying and obstructing a law enforcement officer, and driving with a license revoked.[25][34][35] Routh was sentenced to sixty months probation where his weapons were seized and destroyed by a local police department in Greensboro as part of a plea deal. Routh additionally agreed to undergo a mental health evaluation and accept recommended treatments. Shortly after, he was arrested again for threatening to blow up the aforementioned police department.[36]
In 2003, he was convicted for driving without a license, carrying a concealed weapon and being involved in ahit-and-run. On February 10, 2010, Routh was convicted of possessing stolen goods after police searched through a Greensboro warehouse Routh owned and found more than 100 stolen items, including power tools, building supplies, kayaks, and spa tubs.[37][38] In 2019, Routh was subject to a closed investigation over a tip to the FBI alleging that he was a felon in possession of a firearm. Later that same year, he was removed from a property for allegedlysquatting. In 2021, Routh called the police on a resident of a property that he was working at, claiming he punched him in the nose.[39]
In 2018, Routh moved toKaʻaʻawa, Hawaii with his fiancé, Kathleen Elizabeth Shaffer, and his youngest son, Adam. There, they started a shed-building business calledCamp Box Honolulu.[25] Routh and his other son, Oran Alexander Routh, had had a falling out and had not talked prior to the assassination attempt, although following the attempt he said that Routh was "a loving and caring father, and honest, hardworking man" and that "it doesn't sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent."[40]
Routh claimed on his social media accounts, as well as in 2022 interviews withThe New York Times,Newsweek Romania, andDer Tagesspiegel to have made efforts torecruit foreign soldiers forUkraine in its war against Russia.[34][41][42]Newsweek reported Routh had claimed to have fought in Ukraine,[34] while he toldThe New York Times he did not fight in Ukraine.[43] Routh said in a 2022 interview with a Romanian reporter inKyiv that he flew to Ukraine to join the army in the months after Russia's full-scale invasion, but learned that he was "not an ideal candidate" for the battlefield because he was in his mid-50s with no military experience. Later in 2022, Routh said in an interview that after he was rejected for military service, he began recruiting volunteer soldiers for the Ukrainian military.[44] Routh complained of roadblocks to Ukraine admitting foreign fighters, telling the publicationSemafor that "Ukraine is very often hard to work with, they're afraid that anybody and everybody is a Russian spy".[28][45] Routh was filmed at an April 2022 protest inIndependence Square in Kyiv.[46] Routh was reported in 2022 and 2023 to have been associated with the International Volunteer Center, aLviv-based non-profit providing assistance to foreign fighters in Ukraine. In 2024, after the assassination attempt, the group's founder, Ian Netupsky, said that Routh had never been affiliated with the organization.[47][48][49]
A former volunteer forUkraine's International Legion, Evelyn Aschenbrenner, branded Routh as "delusional" and a "liar" over his claims that he recruited for the Ukrainian organization, saying Routh was "not, and never has been, associated with the International Legion or the Ukrainian Armed Forces at all". Aschenbrenner said of Routh, "He was combative. He was argumentative. He refused repeatedly to understand basic army policy", further adding, "There wasdelusions of grandeur and [he was] very disconnected from reality." The International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine said in a statement that Routh had "never been part of, associated with, or linked" to it "in any capacity".[50][51][52]
Chelsea Walsh, a travel nurse who had met Routh in Ukraine, viewed Routh as "a threat to others" and a "ticking time bomb", and warned a Homeland Security agent upon her return from Ukraine. She claimed that Routh decided to dedicate his life to protecting Ukraine upon first hearing about the war in 2022, and that he would become "vengeful" and "angry" if he did not get his way. Sometime in 2023, Walsh ultimately reported Routh to the FBI for his behavior.[53] Routh had also claimed to her to have organized a protest outside PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy's home and was jailed for it, although this was not confirmed.[54] Walsh repeated her concerns to both the FBI and Interpol.[55]
On September 12, 2024, merely three days before the assassination attempt, Routh exchanged messages with British-trained commandos fromAfghanistan about recruitment to the Russo-Ukrainian War over the instant messaging appWhatsApp.[56]
Routh began planning the assassination attempt as early as February 2024. On September 15, 2024 at 1:59 a.m., Routh took a position at Trump's golf course after stopping at a gas station for supplies. Nearly 12 hours later at 1:31 p.m., he was spotted by an agent.[57] The agent fired four rounds towards Routh, who dropped his weapon and fled in a nearby vehicle.[58] Tommy C. McGee, a witness who was driving to a nearby furniture store at the time of the incident, saw him running out of the woods and into a black car. He quickly took three photos and a video of Routh's vehicle, assisting authorities in tracking it down.[59] After the shot was fired, Trump was escorted off the course by his Secret Serviceprotective detail.[60] At 2:22 p.m, Routh was arrested onInterstate 95 inMartin County as the prime suspect and was initially charged with two offenses: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with the serial number removed.[61] On the day of his arraignment, he was seen smiling and laughing with his lawyer.[62] Footage of his arrest was also released to the public.[63]
Kristy R. Militello and Renee Michelle Sihvola were assigned as Routh's defense attorneys. Routh was charged on September 24 with attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, as well as assaulting a federal officer and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.[64] On December 18, Routh was additionally charged with "attempted felony murder" after it was discovered that the traffic closure caused during Routh's initial arrest led to a traffic crash that injured a 6-year-old girl who was traveling with her family.[65] On April 7, 2025, Florida Attorney GeneralJames Uthmeier charged Routh with attempted first-degree murder and terrorism.[11]
As part of investigations following the assassination attempt, authorities searched the Greensboro home of Ryan Routh's 35-year-old sonOran Alexander Routh (born May 21, 1989), who was previously arrested twice in 2016 for assault and interfering with police.[40] They discoveredimages of child sex abuse on Oran's electronic devices, leading to his arrest.[21][66] Oran pled guilty to one count of possessing child pornography involving a minor who had not yet reached 12 years of age. He then had an outburst in the court, claiming his arrest on the charges were motivated by "political persecution."[66] On July 25, 2025, the judge subsequently sentenced Oran to seven years in federal prison with five years of supervised probation.[67]
On September 23, theDepartment of Justice publicized the first page of a 12-page note written by Routh several months prior to his arrest in which he described an "assassination attempt" and offered a bounty for the killing of Trump. In the letter, Routh offered $150,000 to "whomever can complete the job."[68] Authorities believe that this letter may have been an indication of Routh's foreshadowing of his later actions as well as his acknowledgment of failure in carrying out the plot.[69]
On the same day, FBI agents found documents that contained a handwritten list of venues where Trump had appeared or was expected to be present, dated in August through October. Through cell phone data, the FBI discovered Routhstalked Trump near his golf course and hisMar-a-Lago residence repeatedly between August 18 to September 15.[70] Authorities later confirmed that the vehicle used was determined to have several stolen license plates, one belonging to his daughter Sara Ellen Routh, and another belonging to a 2012Ford F-150. Routh had stolen these plates with the intent to evade detection and capture while fleeing the scene of the assassination attempt.[71] Routh pled not guilty on September 30.[72] More items found inside Routh's vehicle included cartridge casings, several emptySunnyD bottles andVienna sausage cans, orange earplugs, and notes about flights toMexico andColombia. They described the vehicle as "unorganized," and that there was a chance Routh had lived in it for a while.[73][74] A preliminary trial date was set by JudgeAileen Cannon on November 18.[75]
On October 17, Routh's lawyers asked Cannon to recuse herself to avoid the appearance of bias in favor of Trump, due to Cannon dismissing thefederal prosecution of Trump regarding his possession of classified documents two months prior.[76] However, Cannon refused to step down.[77] As a result, Routh's trial date was moved to February 10, 2025. On November 4, one day before the2024 United States presidential election, Routh sent a letter to a local newsroom stating that if Trump wins the election, it will mark "the end of Democracy and the beginning of a Civil War" and that Trump "will not let go of the power given to him". He also begged thePalm Beach County Sheriff's Office to "help lead the country the way to Democracy." Prosecutors noted that Routh's handwriting of the letter matched the same handwriting as the note written months prior discussing his failure to assassinate Trump, which confirmed Routh wrote the note.[78]
On November 26, Routh addressed a note to the newsroomPolitico. In the note, he would criticize both theRepublican Party and theDemocratic Party, claiming that they conspire againstindependent candidates. Routh would also compare himself toThomas Matthew Crooks, the perpetrator of Trump'sprevious assassination attempt inPennsylvania, claiming they were both "ready to die for freedom and democracy." At multiple points, he contemplated the prospect of another civil war. Prior to sending the note, Routh told aprison guard who believed Routh was a Democrat that the Independent politicians are the better candidates. He did not explicitly confess to attempting to assassinate Trump, referring to himself as the "Trump Alleged Shooter".[79]
After appearing in federal court for a hearing on December 11, Routh's legal team announced they were considering giving Routh an insanity defense. Public defenders claimed Routh had met with mental health experts and jail mental health professionals at least twice, who all called him "delusional." Prosecutors also confirmed that Routh had written up to 40 letters to national news outlets to try to convince them he was innocent. The letters were intercepted before being received. Routh's attorneys requested for the trial to be delayed until December 2025.[80][better source needed] Cannon granted the request in part, setting a new trial date of September 8, 2025.[12][81]
On December 13, 2024, Routh wrote a two-page letter offering to be a hostage in theGaza war, stating that he was "willing to surrender in Gaza to restart the peace conversation." Routh would also compare himself to the characterGeorge Bailey from the 1946Frank Capra filmIt's a Wonderful Life, stating that he and Bailey were both "hoping for any support and value in honor, dignity, altruism, and sacrifice left in the world." Routh also expressed positive feelings toward pro-Palestinian university students. Routh would also criticize Trump in the letter, stating he had "no moral compass." The letter was confirmed to be written by Routh through his name, prison ID number and return address at the prison. Routh's daughter, Sara Ellen Routh, wrote her signature in the letter.[82]
On February 20, 2025, Routh's defense team inspected the Trump golf course during a visit arranged by the Justice Department. After this visit they inspected evidence from the case such as the rifle, which the Justice Department had transported to an FBI field office in Florida.[83] Following a court filing on March 3, defense attorney Militello requested for the rifle to be tested. Upon being questioned by Judge Cannon, Militello responded with; "The rifle is old, and we want our expert to determine if it's operable, if it's accurate, and what kind of distance it can reach." Investigators did not conduct any testing of the rifle the day of the assassination attempt because no shots were fired at the scene. Judge Cannon then promised a ruling on testing the weapon.[84] On April 7, Routh filed an amended motion to dismiss two of the charges against him, which was "possession of a firearm by a felon" and "possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number". In the filing, Routh argued that the gun violations are unconstitutional and a violation of theSecond Amendment because the amendment does not regulate the ownership of guns by felons or serial numbers.[85] The motion was rejected by the court two days later on April 9.[86] On the same day, Tommy McGee was interviewed by law enforcement.[87]
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On July 24, Routh filed a motion to fire his public defenders and represent himself at trial. Cannon granted the motion, stating that while it was unwise, he had a constitutional right to do so. Cannon also denied his public defender's motion to withdraw, ordering them to remain as standby counsel. The decision followed repeated breakdowns in communication between Routh and his public defenders, who claimed their relationship had become "irreconcilably broken." When asked if he understood federal criminal court procedure, Routh said; "I have a book."[36] Prosecutors expressed concern that Routh may attempt to introduce inflammatory or irrelevant material in court.[88] On the same day, Routh submitted three filings to the court, all of which were filled with sentiments and riddles with typos. In one specific filing, Routh challenged Trump to a golf match, stating; "He wins, he can execute me. I win, I get his job." In the same filing, Routh called Trump's vice presidentJD Vance a "hillbilly."[89]
On September 2, the trial's final pre-trial hearing was held. The hearing was met with much drama as Routh clashed with the prosecution over his trial attire, which included banned slogan shirts. Judge Cannon had to specifically instruct Routh to dress appropriately for the court. Routh also filed a motion to add ten new witnesses to testify at the trial, including academics and a former girlfriend of his. Judge Cannon denied the motion, calling it "absurd." Routh's attempts to introduce personal letters as evidence were also dismissed.[90]
Routh's trial began on September 8, 2025,[12] and his jury was selected the following day.[91] On September 11, Routh delivered an opening argument that began with a series of tangential historical references unrelated to his case, which lasted five minutes before Judge Cannon stopped him and ordered the jury out of the room. She told Routh that in an opening statement, he is only allowed to talk about valid evidence in an objective and non-argumentative way. When the jury returned, Routh began by insulting them, claiming that the case meant "absolutely nothing." Judge Cannon immediately dismissed the jury again and explained that Routh had violated the rules laid out in court and that opening statements were over.[92]
On September 12, FBI agent Aaron Casey presented a 3D reconstruction of the assassination attempt to the court.[93] On September 15, the FBI confirmed that Routh'sDNA matched the fingerprints found on theSKS semi-automatic 7.62x39 caliber rifle that Routh left behind at the scene of the assassination attempt. Photos of inside Routh's vehicle, as well as receipts, were also shown to the court that day, in which authorities revealed that Routh spent the last month prior to the assassination attempt living in a parking lot of a local gas station in the Palm Beach County area while conducting surveillance.[94]
On September 20, Routh filed a motion to the court to drop all of the charges against him, claiming that since the gun was never fired, prosecutors have "yet to prove" an assassination attempt on Trump took place. He also argued that the area outside Trump's golf course was a public right of way, giving anyone the right to be there with a weapon. On September 22, Routh rested his case after he only called three witnesses, and told Judge Cannon that he would not be taking the stand to testify in his own case, a notion he had previously considered. By that point, a total of 38 people have testified at the trial as witnesses, including Robert Fercano, Tommy McGee and the Plata brothers. Routh's statements and arguments totaled about 42 minutes.[95]
On September 23, Routh was found guilty on all federal counts. The jury deliberated for around two and a half hours.[96] While the verdict was being read in the courtroom, Routh grabbed a black pen and repeatedly attempted to stab himself in the neck,[97] before Marshals tackled him to the ground and picked him up, before dragging him out of the courtroom.[98] Routh's daughter, Sara, immediately begged her father to not hurt himself and began swearing in front of the juror before storming out of the courtroom.[99] Routh returned to the courtroom soon after while handcuffed, appearing to be uninjured, with no blood visible on his white shirt and not appearing to have succeeded in harming himself.[99][14]
Following the trial's conclusion, Sara would publicly speak to the media about the assassination attempt for the first time. She denied that her father was responsible for the assassination attempt, claiming the media was "spreading lies" about him. Sara called her father her "best friend" and that it "wasn't in her father's nature" to commit such a crime. Sara also brought up Routh's stabbing attempt in the court, saying; "Our democracy is crumbling right in front of our eyes, and no one's doing anything about it. And my dad tried to bring awareness to that."[100]
Due to his attempt to stab himself during the verdict, Routh was moved to the medical dorm of theSt. Lucie County jail under suicide observation. On October 22, the Federal Public Defender's Office requested the court to appoint an attorney to represent Routh during the sentencing. They cited that Routh regretted representing himself at trial, and that he wanted an attorney to represent him during his sentencing. The Department of Justice stated that appointing an attorney would not allow Routh to reargue his trial or question any previous court rulings.[101] On October 29, Routh filed a motion asking a federal judge to recommend he either be imprisoned in a state that authorized assisted suicide, or to be traded as a prisoner to eitherIran orChina.[102][103]
From July to August 2024, Routh conspired with his former employee 58-year-old Tina Brown Cooper (born 1966) and her boss at the time, 54-year-old Ronnie Jay Oxendine (bornc. December 1969), to obtain a rifle as part of his assassination plot. Cooper was a registered Republican,[104] while Oxendine never registered to vote.
In July 2024, Routh called Cooper saying he would soon be visiting Greensboro and that he needed help buying anAK-47 for one of his children, as he couldn't obtain one himself due to his criminal record. Cooper agreed to assist him and later reached out to Oxendine asking him if he was willing to sell her the one he owned, claiming it was for her grandson as she initially didn't want Oxendine knowing it was for Routh. Oxendine said he did not want to sell his AK-47 and instead offered to sell Cooper an SKS rifle. On August 2, at approximately 10:00 a.m., Oxendine called Cooper saying he was ready to sell the rifle, where they both arranged a plan to meet at Oxendine's roofing company,Oxendine and Son Roofing Company, for the sale. Upon arriving, Oxendine asked Cooper why Routh was there, as the two had not spoken to each other in almost ten years. Cooper told Oxendine that the SKS rifle was actually for Routh. Routh paid Oxendine $350 in cash for the rifle and paid Cooper $100 in cash for arranging the sale.[105] The rifle's serial number was removed by Routh shortly after. Authorities later confirmed this rifle was the same one used by Routh in the assassination attempt.[36]
On September 15, when Oxendine learned about the assassination attempt through his sister, he contacted Cooper and told her about it. She told Oxendine that she was going to delete all traces of Routh off of all her electronic devices in an attempt to cover up her involvement. When authorities visited Oxendine's roofing company on September 19, Cooper instructed Oxendine to refuse to cooperate with the FBI.[36][105]
On September 22, FBI agents interviewed Oxendine and Cooper as part of their investigation. They first interviewed Oxendine inClimax, North Carolina. Oxendine told the agents that he met Routh in the early 1990's, as they were both owners of local roofing companies at the time. He added that he and Routh weren't close friends. Oxendine falsely told the agents that around this time, Routh had pawned an SKS rifle to him for approximately $300. After immense pressure, Oxendine later admitted that he lied in order to minimize his role in the assassination attempt. He additionally admitted to his role in the sale of the rifle to Routh the month prior.[105]
Later the same day, the agents interviewed Cooper in Greensboro. She told them that she met Routh in 1999 while she was an employee of his roofing business in Greensboro. She said she became aware of Routh's lengthy criminal record in 2002, after his conviction for possessing a weapon of mass death and destruction. ThroughFacebook, Cooper had several conversations with Routh between 2014 and 2022. Additionally, Cooper told the agents that she was "guilty" of assisting Routh, whom she knew was a convicted felon, in acquiring a firearm. Cooper provided multiple inconsistent stories regarding the transfer of the rifle, which she eventually confessed to lying about out of fear of prosecution for her involvement in the assassination attempt. She also admitted to instructing Oxendine to mislead the investigation. The agents then asked Cooper if she had instructed any other person to lie to the FBI or mislead their investigation, which she denied on multiple occasions. Both Oxendine and Cooper told the agents that they had no prior knowledge of Routh’s intentions to assassinate Trump.[36][105][106]
Both Cooper and Oxendine were both indicted in March 2025, and were arrested the following month. Cooper pleaded guilty to firearm trafficking, while Oxendine pleaded guilty to possessing an unregistered firearm.[107][108] Cooper faces 15 years in prison, while Oxendine faces 10 years in prison. Both of them additionally face a $250,000 fine.[109]
On September 17, 2025, Oxendine testified as a witness at Routh's trial. He detailed how he and Cooper arranged the sale of the rifle to Routh the year prior. Routh apologized to Oxendine and offered to serve part of his prison sentence saying; "I know you're extremely mad at me." This prompted Judge Cannon to intervene and warn Routh about violating his time on the lectern. Cooper refused to testify as a witness at the trial.[109][110]
On April 7, 2025, an indictment by federal prosecutors alleged that Routh had a conversation onWhatsApp with a man from Mexico saved in his phone as "Ramiro" on February 29, 2024 about potentially smuggling an Afghanistani migrant family into the United States from Mexico. The indictment claimed that the man spoke mostly Spanish, and that Routh occasionally usedGoogle Translate to communicate with him. Their next alleged conversation occurred seven months later on September 12, where Routh allegedly sent a message stating that he planned on fleeing toMexico City following the assassination attempt, with "Ramiro" allegedly responding that he would see Routh then and that he was located four hours outside of Mexico City. Routh allegedly replied that he would call "Ramiro" once he knew for sure whether or not he’d meet him.[87]
Routh also allegedly sought to obtain military weapons in August 2024 as part of his assassination plot from someone he believed to be a Ukrainian. Routh allegedly told this associate through WhatsApp to send him arocket-propelled grenade or a stinger, stating that he "needed equipment so that Trump couldn't get elected." Routh also allegedly discussed the idea of using a rocket launcher to shoot down Trump's plane.[111]
According to posts on hisTwitter account in 2020, Routh's political views have evolved over the years. Routh said he made Donald Trump his "choice" in 2016, but by 2020, he voiced his dissatisfaction, stating, "I will be glad when you are gone."[112][113] Voting records showed that Routh requested anabsentee ballot in 2016, but did not actually vote.[114] In a self-publishede-book (Ukraine's Unwinnable War: The Fatal Flaw of Democracy, World Abandonment and the Global Citizen-Taiwan, Afghanistan, North Korea and the end [sic] of Humanity)[4] in 2023, he wrote about his stated previous support for Trump by stating, "I am man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake." He further went on to write "you are free to assassinate Trump as well as me for that error in judgement".[23] The passage in question was specifically addressed to the Iranian government.[115] His son Oran stated that Routh hated Trump like "every reasonable person does."[40]
Routh supportedBernie Sanders in 2020, criticizingJoe Biden as "Sleepy Joe". In 2024, he expressed concern over democracy in a post tagging Biden, and telling him his campaign slogan should be "Keep America Democratic and Free".[116] In 2020, he also supportedTulsi Gabbard, calling for an executive order on police misconduct,[117] and he made several small donations to the Democratic fundraising platformActBlue, contributing 19 times in 2019 and 2020 with amounts ranging from $1 to $25, as recorded by theFederal Election Commission.[28] By early 2024, he suggested aNikki Haley andVivek Ramaswamy ticket for the Republican primary.[118] In 2024, he voted in the Democratic primary in Guilford County, North Carolina.[39] Routh had additionally donated $140 toDemocratic causes since 2019. He registered in North Carolina as anindependent voter in 2012.[23][25]
Routh has stated his support forTaiwan, and in his self-published text discussed its political status and called for international intervention to protect the island fromChina.[4] In various posts on hisTwitter account in 2023, Routh tagged theHaitian National Police and asserted that he had thousands ofNATO-trained Afghan soldiers who "wish to serve for theHaiti national police at cheap wages."[119][120] Routh donated throughActBlue 20 times. He has donated $140 exclusively to Democrats and to Gabbard (at the time a Democrat, but later aligned with Trump) since 2019.[121][better source needed]
