‘We heard shots,’ says Trump in first appearance since second assassination attempt
Donald Trump has recounted the second attempt on his life for the first time, saying he was playing golf with friends at his Florida course on Sunday when they heard “shots being fired in the air”.
In his first speaking appearance since the assassination attempt, Trump told Farokh Sarmad, a crypto enthusiast hosting the interview as part of the launch of his sons’ crypto platform, the Secret Service leapt into action and led him off the course.
“The Secret Service knew immediately it was bullets,” he said, during the interview on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday.
“They grabbed me. We got into the carts and moved along pretty good.”
He joked: “I would have loved to have sank that last putt.”
Trump spoke of his amazement at how a Secret Service agent noticed the barrel of suspect Ryan Wesley Routh’s AK-47-style rifle poking out of the bushes, a level of attentiveness which ultimately saved his life.
“How good is that? He only saw the barrel,” he said.
He praised the civilian woman who noticed suspicious activity in the area and took photos of Mr Routh’s car and licence plate, leading to his arrest.
“Within a fairly short period, they tracked him down, they got him,” Trump said.
“The civilian did a phenomenal job, the Secret Service did a great job, everybody did a great job.”
The US Secret Service urgently needs more resources in order to protect America’s leaders, the head of the elite agency admitted.
Ronald Rowe, the acting director of the beleaguered Secret Service, signalled it would need to reconsider the way it operates following the second assassination attempt on Trump.
He cast the Secret Service’s response to the incident on Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course as a success, despite phone records suggesting the suspect was on the perimeter for around 12 hours.
“He did not fire or get off any shots at our agent,” Mr Rowe told reporters.
Trump’s increased security detail following the attempt on his life in July, “allowed for the early identification of the threat and led to a safe evacuation”, he said.
However, Mr Rowe suggested that Trump’s late decision to play a round of golf did not allow for a full sweep of the golf course’s perimeter.
Trump on Monday said he needed more people on his security detail and suggested he told that to Joe Biden when the president called him.
“He was very nice today. He called up to make sure I was OK, to make sure that, you know, do I have any suggestions ... we do need more people on my detail, because we have 50-60,000 people showing up to events … but he couldn’t have been nicer,” Trump said in an interview on X.
03:22 AM BST
That’s all for today
Thank you for following our live coverage on the second assassination attempt against Donald Trump.
To recap:
Ryan Wesley Routh appeared in a Florida court for his first hearing, charged with possession of a firearm by convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obstructed serial number
Trump recounted the attempt on his life for the first time in an interview
The suspect spent almost 12 hours lying in wait for Trump at the golf course
02:37 AM BST
Eric Trump: People are ‘trying to kill’ my father
Donald Trump’s son, Eric Trump, said people are “trying to kill” his father, describing the attempt on his life as “incredibly disconcerting”.
In an emotive interview on Fox News, Eric Trump said the second assassination attempt against his father felt like “déjà vu”.
“We have seen two attempts on his life in the last five weeks.”
He expressed his appreciation for the Secret Service agent who noticed the barrel of the suspect’s rifle poking through the bushes of the golf course and saved his father’s life.
“If I could give them a big hug, I would do so right now.”
01:48 AM BST
Trump: The political climate is ‘nasty’
Addressing the inflammatory rhetoric gripping American politics, Trump said the political climate was currently “nasty”.
“If I don’t win it’s only going to get worse,” he said.
01:34 AM BST
Trump applauds ‘phenomenal’ civilian and Secret Service
The former president spoke at length about the swift work of the Secret Service and expressed his amazement at how the agent noticed the barrel of the AK-47-style rifle poking out of the bushes at his golf course.
“How good is that? He only saw the barrel,” he said.
Trump added it was “amazing” that a civilian noticed suspicious activity and took photos of the suspect’s car.
“Within a fairly short period, they tracked him down. They got him. You wouldn’t want somebody like that out there.
“The civilian did a phenomenal job. The Secret Service did a great job. Everybody did a great job.”
01:24 AM BST
‘We heard shots’: Trump recounts second attempted assassination
Trump said he was playing golf with some of his friends on Sunday when “all of a sudden we heard shots fired in the air”.
It sounded like four or five shots were fired, he added.
“The Secret Service knew immediately it was bullets,” he said.
“They grabbed me. We got into the carts and moved along pretty good.”
He joked: “I would have loved to have sank that last putt.”
01:18 AM BST
Trump praises Secret Service
Trump has praised the Secret Service for detecting the gunman who laid in wait for nearly 12 hours at his Florida golf course.
Speaking during an interview on X for the launch of his sons’ crypto platform, Trump said of his second attempted assassination:
“It was quite something, but it worked out well. The Secret Service did an excellent job. They have the man behind bars... a very dangerous person.”
01:05 AM BST
JD Vance blames Democrats for heated political rhetoric
JD Vance has blamed Democrats and Trump critics for “ridiculous and inflammatory political rhetoric” and vowed to “do (his) part” to tone it down, following Trump’s second attempted assassination.
He said Democrats cannot call Trump a “threat to democracy” and “a fascist” and expect that violence would not follow, because “some crazy person” decides “to take matters into their own hands”.
Speaking at the Georgia Faith and Freedom Coalition dinner on Monday, Mr Vance said that conservatives do not “always get things exactly right” in their rhetoric.
But he argued that two apparent assassination attempts against Trump prove that Democrats are worse.
“No one has tried to kill Kamala Harris in the last couple of months,” Mr Vance said.
12:32 AM BST
What does Trump’s schedule look like?
Trump is set to go ahead with the previously scheduled launch of a cryptocurrency business at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Monday night, according to a source with knowledge of his schedule.
He then plans to hold a town hall in Flint, Michigan, on Tuesday, a rally in New York on Wednesday and another rally in North Carolina on Saturday, the source added. All are set to take place at indoor venues.
It was not immediately clear if Trump would keep golfing. But one close associate said the Secret Service would find it hard to keep him off the course.
“It’s his only real way of de-stressing,” the person said.
11:56 PM BST
Trump invites police to Mar-a-Lago
Trump has invited the deputies, who worked to track down and arrest the suspect, to his Mar-a-Lago residence tomorrow to thank them, Sheriff William Snyder from Martin County told Fox News.
He said the witness was key to tracking down the suspect.
“This was the biggest apprehension I’ve been apart of,” he said.
10:56 PM BST
Biden speaks with Trump
Joe Biden spoke on the phone with Donald Trump and “conveyed his relief that he is safe”, the White House said.
“The two shared a cordial conversation and former President Trump expressed his thanks for the call,” the White House said in a statement.
Trump, in a statement issued by his campaign, said: “We had a very nice call. It was about Secret Service protection.”
His campaign did not offer more details about the call.
10:39 PM BST
Routh offered to build houses for the homeless in Hawaii
HomeAid Hawaii, a non-profit organisation that helps homeless people find housing, said Ryan Routh offered his company’s services to help with roofing and flooring for the construction of tiny homes from 2018 to 2020.
“He was not compensated, and no complaints were recorded during his time with us under HomeAid Hawaii’s previous leadership,” Kimo Carvalho, the organisation’s executive director, said.
The organisation has not used Routh’s services since 2020, Mr Carvalho said.
10:12 PM BST
Key updates from the FBI briefing
If you have just joined us, here are the key updates from the FBI briefing:
Routh did not fire any shots
Suspect had no line of sight to Trump
He was known to the FBI and has an “online presence”
The FBI believes Routh was acting alone
Routh’s family and friends have been questioned by officers
Secret Service chief says Trump’s golf club visit was unscheduled
10:03 PM BST
FBI believes Routh acted alone
Ryan Routh had an active online presence which officials are looking into, the FBI has told reporters.
The agency added that as of now there was no information that the suspect acted with anyone else.
09:52 PM BST
That’s it for the briefing
After a few back and forths, and a staunch defence of the Secret Service’s work from its acting director, that wraps the briefing.
09:41 PM BST
The questions that remain unanswered
The FBI was not able to answer a number of questions put to the bureau. They include:
How long Ryan Routh had been in Florida for?
Was he working alone, or did he have an accomplice?
Where was he prior to the 12 hours he camped out in the bushes?
09:38 PM BST
Bullish defence from Secret Service
An animated Mr Rowe said the Secret Service was shifting from a “reactive model” to the “readiness model”.
He suggested his team needed more resources in order to protect the people he needs to protect.
09:29 PM BST
Suspect fired no shots
Ronald Rowe Jr, Acting Director of the US Secret Service, confirmed Ryan Routh was on the public side of the fence near the sixth green.
Donald Trump was on the fifth hole when an agent swept the grounds of the hole ahead.
He saw Mr Routh’s rifle and immediately fired his gun.
Mr Rowe said the suspect did not fire any shots at the agent in return and had no clear line of sight to the former president.
09:26 PM BST
Ryan Routh was known to the FBI
The suspect in the plot against Donald Trump was previously known to the FBI, officials revealed.
An FBI agent told a press conference in southern Florida that Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, had been the subject of a “2019 tip to the FBI where it was alleged that he was a felon in possession of a firearm”.
The FBI interviewed the informant and passed the information on to local law enforcement in Honolulu, Hawaii, where Mr Routh was living at the time.
“In following up on the tip, the alleged complainant was interviewed and did not verify providing the initial information,” Mr Veltri said.
“The FBI passed that information to local law enforcement in Honolulu.”
09:23 PM BST
Analysis ongoing to locate Mr Routh’s movements
Analysis is still being collected in an attempt to locate Mr Routh’s whereabouts in the hours, days, weeks and months leading up to his engagement with the Secret Service.
Mr Veltri says his team are hunting for “relevant video footage” and they are combing through his social media accounts.
09:19 PM BST
Family and friends have been interviewed
Several family members and friends of Mr Routh have been interviewed, Mr Veltri said.
He said the FBI’s view is that the incident remains “extremely serious”.
09:18 PM BST
Details emerge of Routh’s questioning
Jeffrey Veltri, Speial Agent in Charge, FBI Miami Field Office confirms Mr Routh invoked his right to an attorney when he was questioned by the FBI.
Warrants have been issued for Mr Routh’s previous known addresses for cameras, phones and vehicles related to him.
09:16 PM BST
First statement wraps up
Mr Lapointe has finished his briefing, and no new information was divulged by him.
09:15 PM BST
FBi still leading the investigation
Markenzy Lapointe, US Attorney for he Southern District of Florida, says the FBI is still leading on the matter, which is seen as an attempted assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
09:14 PM BST
FBI and Secret Service at the briefing
The FBI and Secret Service are with the sheriff.
They are now outlining the details of what was known yesterday regarding Ryan Routh’s arrest.
09:12 PM BST
Here we go...
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw says Mar-A-Largo is now in a state of the highest security possible following the incident.
He also confirmed the roads were still closed.
09:02 PM BST
‘Small army’ of law enforcement to surround Trump rally
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman says the county is dedicating a “small army” of law enforcement to handle security around Trump’s planned rally at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island on Wednesday.
“We feel very confident that we will have the assets necessary to make sure that this is safe for everyone,” Blakeman said at a news briefing Monday afternoon.
Patrick Ryder, the police commissioner in Nassau County, said, “This will be the safest place in the country on that day.”
08:56 PM BST
Update imminent on assassination attempt
We are expecting a press conference regarding the suspected assassination attempt any moment.
Susie Coen is there for us, and we’ll bring you the latest news as it happens.
08:29 PM BST
How did Ryan Routh know where Trump would be? The unanswered questions about assassination attempt
The Telegraph rounds up the key questions that remain for law enforcement.
Benedict Smith reports here.
08:27 PM BST
The chilling moment Ryan Routh stared me down in court
Our reporter Susie Coen was one of a few journalists in court with Ryan Routh today.
Here is her take on her eerie exchange of eye contact with the assassination suspect.
06:48 PM BST
Why wasn’t the gunman spotted by security?
One key unanswered question is why the gunman was not spotted by the Secret Service while he lay in wait at the golf course for almost twelve hours.
Officials claimed that Ryan Wesley Routh had taken up position at the course in the early hours of Sunday morning, citing data from the 58-year-old’s mobile phone that placed it at the treeline from 1:59am to 1:31pm.
Yet Trump’s security detail only noticed an AK-47 pointing out of the trees while the former president was playing golf just a few holes away.
The assault rifle has a maximum effective range of some 330 yards, while the former president is estimated to have been some 300 to 500 yards away. This was “not a long distance” for an AK-47 equipped with a scope, as Palm Beach county sheriff Ric Bradshaw noted.
Moreover, it comes after weeks of scrutiny and criticism of the Secret Service following the attempt on Trump’s life in July.
Law enforcement will likely be attempting to recreate the steps of the gunman on the day in question, but have so far not set out how the individual was able to get so close.
06:37 PM BST
‘Bullets are flying because of Harris’ Communist rhetoric’
Donald Trump has accused Kamala Harris on provoking the attempt on his life on Sunday with “Communist Left rhetoric”.
“The rhetoric, lies, as exemplified by the false statements made by Comrade Kamala Harris during the rigged and highly partisan ABC Debate, and all of the ridiculous lawsuits specifically designed to inflict damage on Joe’s, then Kamala’s, political opponent, me, has taken politics in our country to a whole new level of hatred, abuse, and distrust,” he wrote on social media.
“Because of this Communist Left rhetoric, the bullets are flying, and it will only get worse.”
06:16 PM BST
Pictured: Suspected Trump gunman appears in court
06:11 PM BST
‘Full of s---’ suspected Trump gunman was rejected by Ukraine army
Long before he is thought to have trained his guns on Donald Trump, Ryan Routh tried to tout his warrior skills in Ukraine as a volunteer with the country’s International Legion.
The unit was created by Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, in a bid to recruit ex-Western soldiers to Kyiv’s defence, and drew thousands of applicants in the war’s opening months.
However, far from all were battle-hardened Paras or US Delta Force members. The Legion also attracted no end of Walter Mittys, fantasists and self-publicists.
Ukrainian military recruiters appear to have spotted almost immediately that Mr Routh, who had a long criminal record, was not promising material.
Read the full article from Colin Freeman here.
05:39 PM BST
Pictured: New photograph of Ryan Routh arrest released
05:35 PM BST
Trump blames Harris’ ‘rhetoric’ for assassination attempt
Donald Trump has blamed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ “rhetoric” for the apparent assassination attempt on him, saying it was “causing me to be shot at”, Rozina Sabur writes.
The Republican 2024 candidate said the “highly inflammatory language” of his Democratic opponents had motivated would-be assassins after two suspected attempts on his life in as many months.
Trump was rushed off his golf course on Sunday following the discovery of a gunman lurking in the shrubbery nearby. The suspected gunman, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, appeared in court on Monday.
Online comments and records suggest Mr Routh voted for Trump in 2016 but had donated to Democratic candidates in 2020. He appeared to support Nikki Haley, who challenged Trump in the Republican primary, in 2024.
Trump told Fox News in an interview on Monday that the gunman “believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it”. He cited the president and vice president’s frequent refrain that Trump poses a “threat to democracy”.
“Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country - both from the inside and out,” he said.
He added: “It is called the enemy from within. They are the real threat.”
04:44 PM BST
Routh laughs in court before being charged
The suspect in the attempted assassination of Donald Trump laughed in court before he was charged with firearm offences, Susie Coen writes from West Palm Beach.
Less than 24 hours after he is thought to have made an attempt on the former president’s life and dressed in navy blue overalls, Ryan Routh was seen smiling and laughing with his lawyer.
Moments later, he was charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person - a convicted felon - and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
The first charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, while the latter offence carries up to five years in prison. Both can result in a $250,000 fine.
Routh appeared calm and collected throughout the hearing on Monday morning, which took under 10 minutes.
He told the courtroom five at the Paul G. Rogers federal courthouse he earns $3,000-a-month, has “zero” real estate, owns two trucks in Hawaii and has one dependent, his 25-year-old son.
Magistrate judge Ryon M. McCabe set a pretrial detention hearing for Monday 23 September, and an arraignment hearing for Monday 30 September.
04:12 PM BST
Routh charged with two firearms offences
Ryan Wesley Routh has appeared in a Florida court for his first hearing, wearing a blue jumpsuit with his hands cuffed.
The 58-year-old has been charged with possession of a firearm by convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obstructed serial number.
The first offence means he could serve up to 15 years in prison, if convicted, while the second could mean up to five years.
A detention hearing has been set for September 23 and the arraignment is set for September 30, according to US media.
03:40 PM BST
Trump Jr: I’ve had to tell my children about assassination atempt
Donald Trump Jr says he has told his children about the attempt on his father’s life, saying “No person should ever have to do this in America.”
“You know what’s getting really old? Having to have conversations with my five young children about radical leftist trying to kill their grandfather,” he wrote on social media.
It is unclear what the gunman’s political affiliations are.
Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the assassination attempt, voted for Trump in 2016 but later became disillusioned with the former president.
You know what's getting really old? Having to have conversations with my 5 young children about radical leftist trying to kill their grandfather. No person should ever have to do this in America or anywhere else and yet I had to have that conversation five times again yesterday.
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 16, 2024
03:20 PM BST
Mike Johnson: Trump needs more security coverage than anyone
Donald Trump needs the highest level of security protection because he is the “most attacked” and “most threatened” figure in US politics, Mike Johnson has said.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives told Fox News: “President Trump needs the most coverage of anyone.
“He’s the most attacked. He’s the most threatened. Even - even probably more than when he was in the Oval Office.
“So, we are demanding, in the House, that he have every asset available. And we will make more avoidable if necessary.”
02:50 PM BST
Local sheriff: This was not like Butler shooting
The Palm Beach county sheriff has said that the assassination attempt on Donald Trump on Sunday was “not like what happened” at the former president’s rally shooting two months ago.
“He did not get off any rounds, and that was because the US Secret Service agent acted so quickly,” Ric Bradshaw told Fox News.
“At the end of the day, the system worked.”
Referring to the shooting at a Trump rally in July, which prompted widespread criticism of the Secret Service and the resignation of its director, Mr Bradshaw added: “This is not like what happened in Butler.”
02:46 PM BST
Suspected Trump gunman to appear in court today
A man suspected of trying to assassinate Donald Trump is expected to appear in court later today.
Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58-year-old former construction worker, was arrested yesterday after allegedly fleeing the Florida golf course where an assassination attempt took place on Sunday.
Routh was said to have been armed with an AK-47 assault rifle and was some 300 to 500 yards away from Trump when he was spotted by members of the former president’s security team.
Members of the Secret Service detail then opened fire at Routh, according to law enforcement officials.
The 58-year-old apparently did not fire any shots before he escaped in a black Nissan. He was arrested around 50 miles from the Trump International Golf Club.
02:34 PM BST
Biden: Secret Service ‘needs more help’
The US Secret Service “needs more help”, Joe Biden has said, after a second attempt was made on Donald Trump’s life on Sunday.
A gunman armed with an AK-47 assault rifle is said to have come within 300 to 500 yards of the former president, just two months after his ear was grazed by a bullet by another would-be assassin at a rally.
“One thing I want to make clear is: the Service needs more help. And I think Congress should respond to their need,” Joe Biden, the US President said. “Thank God the president is OK.”
Of the Secret Service, he added: “They may decide whether they need more personnel or not.”
01:51 PM BST
Routh ‘was never completely stable’
A Ukrainian military source said that Ryan Wesley Routh had arrived in Ukraine very shortly after the war began, when the country was in chaos and it was easy for people to make false claims that they were acting in some official capacity, Colin Freeman writes.
While Routh probably had “good intentions”, he had allegedly caused the Legion security problems by posting details on his website of foreigners who had enlisted.
“He was trying to get involved in internal matters as well,” the source added. “He sent me messages saying: ‘Oh, guys in this unit are not happy’.
“And I said: ‘Listen, they have a chain of command... there is a way to report things’. I don’t think he was never completely stable, and then I think he went off the deep end, had some difficulties and then left.”
The source added that the Legion wanted to stress that it in no way condoned Routh’s attempt to assassinate Trump.
01:13 PM BST
Routh’s interest in Ukraine became ‘unhealthy’
An aid worker who came across the suspect in the second assassination attempt of Donald Trump said he had developed an “unhealthy” interest in Ukraine.
Chris Lutz, a humanitarian aid worker in Kyiv, told the BBC that Routh was known locally as a “recruitment cheerleader” but had no rights or powers to recruit for Ukraine’s international legion.
“I wouldn’t call him crazy. He was just hyper-focused. He was trying his best to help Ukraine. But it was getting to an unhealthy level,” Mr Lutz said.
“He asked me for advice on how to get Afghans into Ukraine. However, I had no experience of the Ukrainian legal system, so I declined the request. When he said he could bring over thousands of Afghan fighters, I started to get suspicious.”
12:45 PM BST
Routh ‘was a mellow, low-key person’
Mr Routh was a “real mellow, low-key” person, according to his neighbours in Hawaii, Susie Coen writes.
David Stant, who lives near Mr Routh in the small community of Kaaawa, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser the situation was “crazy”.
He said Mr Routh was “real mellow, low-key... quiet.”
Police sources told the paper law enforcement had interacted with Routh four times.
In one instance in 2019, the police were called because Mr Routh and two others were allegedly squatting at a nearby property.
12:16 PM BST
Trump praises ‘outstanding’ security detail
Donald Trump has paid tribute to the US Secret Service agents who protected him during his second assassination attempt on Sunday, despite criticisms of his security arrangements.
Several figures have questioned why a gunman was able to get between 300 to 500 yards of the former president while he was golfing in Florida, just two months after a separate attempt was made on his life at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“I want to thank the US Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his officers of brave and dedicated patriots, and, all of law enforcement, for the incredible job done,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
He added: “The job done was absolutely outstanding. I am very proud to be an American.”
12:08 PM BST
Routh ‘was in way over his head’
Ryan Wesley Routh suggested bribing officials and faking documents as part of an unlikely plan to bring Afghan fighters to Ukraine, a New York Times journalist has claimed.
Thomas Gibbons-Neff, who interviewed Routh for an article about foreign volunteers fighters and volunteers in Ukraine, wrote:
By the time I got off the phone with Mr Routh some minutes later, it was clear he was in way over his head.
He talked of buying off corrupt officials, forging passports and doing whatever it took to get his Afghan cadre to Ukraine, but he had no real way to accomplish his goals.
At one point he mentioned arranging a U.S. military transport flight from Iraq to Poland with Afghan refugees willing to fight.
I shook my head. It sounded ridiculous, but the tone in Mr. Routh’s voice said otherwise. He was going to back Ukraine’s war effort, no matter what.
11:50 AM BST
Routh ‘hated Trump - but wasn’t a violent person’
Oran Routh, the son of Ryan Wesley Routh, has said his father hated Donald Trump “as every reasonable person does”, adding: “I don’t like Trump either”.
Mr Routh, 35, told the Daily Mail that his 58-year-old father, who was arrested yesterday on suspicion of an attempt on Trump’s life, was not a violent individual.
“He’s my dad and all he’s had is couple traffic tickets, as far as I know,’ he said. ‘That’s crazy. I know my dad and love my dad, but that’s nothing like him.”
‘I’ve never known him to own a gun or known him to do anything bats--t like this.”
He added: “If my father wants to be a martyr to how broken and disassociated the process has become from the real problems and practical solutions, then that’s his choice.
“I’m not saying that’s what he’s done or what he’s about, that’s just my own rant being fed up with it all for my entire adult life.”
11:13 AM BST
International Legion ‘considered banning Routh from Ukraine’
A Ukrainian military source said the International Legion considered requesting that the Ukrainian government ban Ryan Wesley Routh from the country over his “bizarre” schemes, Colin Freeman writes.
“He was never in Ukraine in any official capacity, he simply decided that he was going to come here and save the day himself, by doing his own thing,” the source told The Telegraph.
“I never met him in person but I was in contact with him multiple times to request to him that he stop his activities, most of which were bizarre and alarming.
“For example, he was trying to run around and do his own recruiting of former soldiers from Afghanistan and Iraq and Syria, and to talk us into arranging their travel here, despite us saying ‘no’ multiple times.”
11:00 AM BST
Watch: Trump suspect speaks from Ukraine in 2022
10:58 AM BST
Starmer ‘deeply troubled’ by Trump assassination attempt
Sir Keir Starmer has said he is “deeply troubled” by the attempt on Donald Trump’s life and that violence “ has no part to play at all in any political process”.
The Prime Minister has told broadcasters, on a visit to Rome: “I was very worried by the news about this attempt. Looks like an assassination attempt, very worried about it.”
“Obviously, there’s now an investigation going on so I won’t say much more about the details. But I think it is really important that we’re all very, very clear that violence has no part to play at all in any political process.
“So, deeply troubled. Let the investigation take its place. But absolute clarity: violence, no place in political discussion at all, anywhere.”
10:53 AM BST
Who is Ryan Welsey Routh?
The suspect in the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump is a 58-year-old Florida resident who seemingly travelled to Ukraine after Russia’s invasion and became a champion for sending arms and even American soldiers to help Kyiv.
Officials told US media the man taken into custody was Ryan Wesley Routh, whose bio on X, formerly Twitter, says: “I feel lucky to have been born in America, with freedom and opportunity and hope that I do not waste such a valuable thing; to do more and take less.”
Based on his social media profile, it seems that two years ago he travelled to Ukraine in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion and urged Americans to join him there.
Read the full profile from Andrew Buncombe here.
10:37 AM BST
Zelensky sends ‘best wishes’ to Trump
Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is “glad” that Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt by a suspect who reportedly attempted to sign up to Ukraine’s international legion.
The Ukrainian president wrote on social media: “I am glad to hear that [Trump] is safe and unharmed.
“My best wishes to him and his family. It’s good that the suspect in the assassination attempt was apprehended quickly.
“This is our principle: the rule of law is paramount and political violence has no place anywhere in the world.”
Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the assassination attempt who was arrested yesterday, was reportedly rejected from International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine given his lack of military experience and age.
The legion has said Routh had never been part of or associated with the legion, while a former member told The Telegraph he was “full of s--t and hot air.”
I am glad to hear that @realDonaldTrump is safe and unharmed. My best wishes to him and his family. It's good that the suspect in the assassination attempt was apprehended quickly. This is our principle: the rule of law is paramount and political violence has no place anywhere in…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 16, 2024
10:25 AM BST
Welcome
Hello and welcome to the live blog. Benedict Smith here. We’ll be bringing you the latest updates after a second attempt was made on Donald Trump’s life on Sunday.
10:20 AM BST
Suspected gunman voted Trump in 2016
The suspect in the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump is a 58-year-old Florida resident who voted for the former president in 2016.
Trump had been playing golf in West Palm Beach, Florida, not far from his Mar-a-Lago residence, on Sunday when the Secret Service spotted the alleged gunman hiding in the bushes one hole ahead.
The man, named as Ryan Wesley Routh, was heavily active on social media, where he revealed he voted for Trump eight years ago in the hope that he would be a better president than he was as a candidate.
“While you were my choice in 2016, I and the world hoped that President Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointed and it seems you are getting worse and devolving,” Routh wrote on X in July.
09:57 AM BST
Pictured: Trump’s international golf club remains sealed off by police
09:48 AM BST
Routh’s book on the ‘unwinnable’ war in Ukraine
A book written by Ryan Wesley Routh, the primary suspect in the attempted shooting of Trump, wrote a $2.99 book about Ukraine’s “unwinnable war” and the “fatal flaw of democracy”.
One section of the book focuses on Iran, which the author said must take “part of the blame” for electing a “brainless” Trump as president.
“You are free to assassinate Trump as well as me for that error in judgment and the dismantling of the deal,” one passage read.
It also includes several graphic images, including beheadings and dead children.
09:43 AM BST
Suspect ‘calm’ after arrest, says sheriff
The suspect in the second assassination attempt of Donald Trump was “calm” during his arrest, a local sherrif has said.
“There was a lone driver in the vehicle. That driver is now in custody,” said William Snyder, a Martin County Sheriff, before adding that he seemed “relatively calm” and was “not displaying a lot of emotions”.
“He never asked, ‘What is this about?’ Obviously, law enforcement with long rifles, blue lights, a lot going on. He never questioned it,” Mr Snyder added.
09:37 AM BST
Suspect ‘eccentric’ and ‘full of hot air’ over Ukraine efforts
Mr Routh is understood to have spent time in Ukraine in the early days of the war, when President Volodymyr Zelensky had invited foreigners to join the newly-created International Legion to help fight the Russians, writes Colin Freeman.
While the invite was meant to attract just qualified ex-soldiers, it also attracted a large fraternity of fantasists and “Call of Duty Warriors”, often boasting of high-level contacts with Western military and intelligence circles.
One former Legion official told The Telegraph: “He (Routh) was kind of infamous in and around the Legion since 2022. Has always been full of hot air, promising hundreds of recruits from Afghanistan and Syria that never materialised, and which the Ukrainian army did not want anyway, since they would represent a huge infiltration risk.
“He’s been trying to get involved in recruitment and was really only interfering. He was called out a number of times by Legion people and told to stop his shenanigans, but that didn’t seem to stop him. He was mostly quite eccentric. I could smell a mile away that he was full of s--t.”