Without evidence, Trump blames Biden and Harris for apparent assassination attempt
Washington: Donald Trump has blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the latest apparent assassination attempt against him, as the suspect appeared in court for the first time and was charged with two gun-related crimes.
Amid growing tensions ahead of November’s election, the former president took aim at his Democratic rivals, saying without evidence that their rhetoric – which casts him as a threat to democracy – was putting his life in danger and encouraging people who want to kill him.
Law enforcement officers arrest Ryan Routh, the man suspected in the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump.Credit: AP
“He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it,” the Republican candidate told Fox News Digital of Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect who is now being investigated over the latest incident.
“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.”
Trump made his comments shortly before the 58-year-old Routh appeared in court, shackled and occasionally smiling, after Secret Service agents foiled what they believe was a second attempt on Trump’s life in as many months.
During a brief hearing in federal court, the suspect, who has a lengthy police record in North Carolina, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Further and more serious charges are possible, but the two gun charges will allow Routh to remain in custody as authorities scale up their investigation.
Trump’s comments sheeting blame at Biden and Harris are likely to inflame tensions in an election campaign marred by unprecedented upheaval, violence, and conspiracy theories.
Despite Trump’s claims, Biden spoke with Trump and “conveyed his relief that he is safe,” White House senior deputy press secretary Emilie Simons said, according to ABC US. “The two shared a cordial conversation and former President Trump expressed his thanks for the call.”
A newspaper is displayed in a vehicle outside of Mar-a-Lago after the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump Monday.Credit: AP
Later Trump said he had a “very nice” conversation with Biden. “It was about Secret Service protection,” he said.
In the aftermath of the latest apparent attempted assassination, some progressive social media accounts shared claims that Trump – whose campaign has struggled to recalibrate since Harris became the Democratic nominee – somehow orchestrated the situation that unfolded on Sunday.
Conservatives and allies of Trump, on the other hand, lashed out at Democrats for the attacks on his life, with some even suggesting there would be more to come.
“This is very unlikely to be the last time they try to kill Trump,” far-right congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X. “They will not let him win and will do anything to stop him.”
Elon Musk also weighed in, posting on X – and then deleting – a post suggesting it was odd that nobody had tried to kill Biden or Kamala Harris. He later claimed it was intended as a joke.
On Monday, Biden told reporters that he was glad Trump was safe, but said the Secret Service, which has long had staffing problems, “needs more help” in the form of additional personnel.
The Secret Service, which protects US presidents and presidential candidates, has been under intense scrutiny since the earlier attempt on Trump’s life during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in July. The agency’s director stood down over the failure to stop a 20-year-old gunman from opening fire at the former president.
Trump was due to meet with the acting director of the Secret Service, Ronald Rowe, to discuss his future security arrangements later at Mar-a-Lago.
At an event broadcast on X on Tuesday, Trump praised the Secret Service, saying he was amazed at how an agent noticed the barrel of the suspect’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.
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