Far-right Conspiracies Abound After Second Apparent Trump Assassination
Attempt
After a man who appears to be obsessive about the war in Ukraine was
arrested for allegedly attempting to assassinate Donald Trump on Sunday,
rumors and conspiracy theories have spread online attempting to tie
Democrats to the two assassination attempts on the former president this
election.
Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect charged with gun-related crimes on Monday,
previously conducted media interviews about his efforts to recruit
volunteer fighters, particularly from Afghanistan, to help Ukraine in its
war against Russia. Routh also apparently self-published an e-book on
Ukraine in which he said that Iran was �free to assassinate Trump as well
as me�, according to media reports.
As details of his passion for Ukraine have emerged, some on the far right
have claimed Routh may have ties within the US military, with some going
even further to say the arrested suspect could have been part of a larger
plot. There is no evidence to suggest either � and none of those
spreading the rumors have put forth any proof.
law enforcement agents investigate a home
Muddled politics and multiple arrests: who is alleged Trump would-be
assassin?
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�What are the odds that this shooter, who spent months fighting in
Ukraine, has zero links to anyone in US military or intelligence
circles?� Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, wrote on X. �Find
them.�
Questions surrounding how Routh knew Trump would be golfing that day,
given that the round wasn�t on a public schedule, led some to suggest
that those tasked with protecting the president could be in on the
attempt. The former president praised the Secret Service in the aftermath
of the apparent thwarted shooting.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/17/trump-assassination-attempt-conspiracy-theories
Another conspiracy theory claimed Routh appeared in a video for the
investment firm BlackRock. The video footage circulated along with the
claim shows him at a protest in Ukraine, though the video is unaffiliated
with the firm, the company said, adding that Routh �has never been an
employee of BlackRock nor has he appeared in any BlackRock ads�.
The theory attempted to tie Routh to Thomas Crooks, the shooter in the
first assassination attempt against Trump in July, who did appear in a
BlackRock commercial when he was a student at Bethel Park high school in
Pennsylvania. �That means BOTH featured in Global Wealth management
firm�s Commercial,� an X account with nearly 600,000 followers posted
alongside a video that included Routh. �THESE ARENT COINCIDIENCES [sic].
They love their symbolism.�
Routh spoke to the New York Times in 2023 and the Guardian in 2022 for
stories about volunteers going to Ukraine to help fight. The New York
Times reporter who spoke to him wrote on Sunday that �it was clear he was
in way over his head� and had no way of pulling off his plans to recruit
Afghan soldiers for the effort. His interviews in the Times and other
media well before the shooting led to further speculation.
�Now we see Ryan Routh, who tried to assassinate President Trump today at
his West Palm Beach, FL golf club, was profiled by the New York Times
@nytimes in 2023 and worked with the US foreign Legion in Ukraine, which
has ties to the CIA,� the far-right conspiracy theorist and Trump ally
Laura Loomer wrote on X. �The DEEP STATE runs Deep!�
Loomer also pointed to the recent cover of Time magazine, which shows
Trump on a golf cart stuck in a sand trap and says �In Trouble�, and
said: �Coincidence? Or coordination?
�Did they have advance knowledge of the attempted assassination of
President Trump today at his golf club in West Palm Beach FL!?!� Loomer
wrote.
Beyond the conspiracies, others on the right have blamed Joe Biden,
Kamala Harris and Democrats in general for using rhetoric that they claim
has put Trump under fire. The Republican presidential candidate himself
said �Comrade Kamala Harris� had made statements that had �taken politics
in our Country to a whole new level of Hatred, Abuse, and Distrust.
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�Because of this Communist Left Rhetoric, the bullets are flying, and it
will only get worse!�
On Fox News on Monday, Trump used heated rhetoric, calling Democrats like
Harris �the enemy from within.
�These are people that want to destroy our country,� he said. �It is
called the enemy from within. They are the real threat.�
Elon Musk, the owner of X, wrote on the platform on Sunday: �And no one
is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala.� He later removed the tweet
and claimed it was a joke, saying that �jokes are WAY less funny if
people don�t know the context and the delivery is plain text�.
The Libertarian party of New Hampshire took it further, writing on X:
�Anyone who murders Kamala Harris would be an American hero.�
Here Come The Trumper Crackpots - Far Right Conspiracies About The Latest Attempt On Trump's Life