What we know about Trump assassination suspect Routh’s party affiliation

After instrumentality enforcement said it was investigating an evident attempted assassination of erstwhile United States President Donald Trump, societal media users rapidly declared they knew the suspect’s registered elector enactment affiliation.

“Ryan Wesley Routh, the 2nd Trump shooter. He looks similar a MAGA enactment but is simply a registered democrat,” stated a Facebook post.

The operation “second Trump shooter” alludes to a antithetic antheral who changeable Trump successful July.

It is imaginable that much details volition look astir Routh’s governmental ideology arsenic the tribunal lawsuit against him proceeds, but 2 days aft the incidental successful West Palm Beach, Florida, a reappraisal of nationalist records, Routh’s societal posts and quality accounts recovered that though Routh described himself arsenic a Trump supporter-turned-Trump critic, his elector registration past showed nary wide motion of accordant enactment of either party.

He besides often gave dependable to much left-leaning ideology. In 2023, helium addressed Iran successful his self-published book, writing: “You are escaped to assassinate Trump arsenic good arsenic me.”

Routh was erstwhile a registered Democrat successful North Carolina, but much than 2 decades ago, helium switched his enactment to “unaffiliated”, according to elector records and a North Carolina region predetermination official. He is besides an progressive registered elector successful Honolulu, but successful Hawaii choosing governmental enactment affiliation is not portion of the elector registration process. People tin articulation governmental parties, but that’s betwixt the elector and the party.

Ryan Routh attends a rally demanding China’s leader’s assistance to organise an extraction process for Ukrainian work members from Azovstal Iron and Steel Works successful Mariupol, successful Kyiv, Ukraine, May 17, 2022 [File: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters]

Besides his changing thoughts connected Trump, Routh besides expressed inconsistent views astir different candidates and governmental issues, astatine times supporting Republican oregon Democratic candidates.

The Daily Mail quoted Routh’s son, Oran Routh, arsenic saying that helium had had a falling retired with his father. But Oran Routh described his begetter arsenic idiosyncratic who hates Trump arsenic helium and “every tenable idiosyncratic does”.

‘Weapon of wide decease and destruction’

Ryan Routh appeared successful US District Court successful West Palm Beach connected Monday and was charged with possession of a firearm arsenic a felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

The affidavit successful enactment of the transgression ailment stated that, connected Sunday, a Secret Service cause assigned to Trump’s information item astatine Trump International Golf Club successful West Palm Beach saw a firearm poking done the histrion line. An cause fired successful the absorption of the rifle. Routh fled, and agents recovered a loaded SKS-style 7.62 x 39 calibre firearm with a scope.

A witnesser described the conveyance to instrumentality enforcement and the Martin County sheriff’s bureau stopped Routh the aforesaid afternoon.

The tribunal papers besides says that Routh has a felony record. Routh was convicted successful 2002 successful Greensboro, North Carolina, of possession of a “weapon of wide decease and destruction” pursuing what the Greensboro News and Record reported was a three-hour equipped standoff with section police. He was accused of wielding an automatic instrumentality weapon and barricading himself astatine a roofing institution wherever helium had worked.

In 2010, helium was convicted of aggregate counts of possession of stolen goods. Routh was arrested dozens of times implicit respective years, the paper found.

The national nationalist defender’s bureau declined to comment.

The FBI said successful a connection earlier this Sunday that it is “investigating what appears to beryllium an attempted assassination” against Trump.

Unaffiliated elector successful North Carolina

Charlie Collicutt, elections manager for Guilford County successful North Carolina, told PolitiFact that a idiosyncratic with Routh’s sanction registered successful 1988 arsenic a Democrat and changed to unaffiliated successful 2002.

“He’s been unaffiliated since then,” Collicutt said.

Routh, who is listed arsenic an “active voter” successful North Carolina, mislaid his elector registration successful 2002 pursuing a felony conviction. When his rights were restored, helium reregistered successful 2005, Collicutt said. Then the region removed him from its elector rolls again successful 2010 pursuing different felony conviction.

“When his rights were restored aft that, helium re-registered successful 2012, and that is the existent registration for him,” Collicutt said.

In North Carolina, unaffiliated voters whitethorn take immoderate 1 governmental party’s ballot oregon a nonpartisan ballot (if available) successful a superior election. In a wide election, voters whitethorn ballot for the campaigner of their choice, careless of party.

The website for the North Carolina State Board of Elections shows that Routh voted successful the March Democratic primary. He besides voted successful the 2012 wide election, municipal elections successful 2009 and the wide predetermination successful 2008.

Routh is listed arsenic an “active” registered elector successful Honolulu, too, according to Honolulu City and County Elections Administrator Rex Quidilla.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that Routh has lived successful Kaaawa and worked successful Hawaii since 2018. Based connected the Hawaii State Constitution, voters’ governmental enactment affiliation is not portion of their elector registration.

The lone different accusation that Quidilla said helium was legally allowed to supply was Routh’s precinct number.

If voters privation to enroll with a governmental party, they bash truthful done the idiosyncratic party, which is not managed by the authorities of Hawaii. A idiosyncratic is not required to person a declared governmental enactment affiliation successful bid to ballot successful the state’s superior oregon wide elections, but whitethorn beryllium required to enactment successful party-run statesmanlike primaries, according to the authorities Office of Elections.

Tamara McKay, authorities seat of the Hawaii Republican Party, said the enactment had nary documentation showing Routh had ever joined their party. The state’s Democratic Party was contacted, but did not respond to a petition for comment.

The Federal Election Commission website shows that a antheral named Ryan Routh successful Kaaawa successful 2019 and 2020 made a full 19 donations – ranging from $1 to $25 for a full of astir $140 – to ActBlue, a governmental enactment committee that supports Democratic candidates. Some of the donations were earmarked for Democratic statesmanlike superior candidates including Tulsi Gabbard, Andrew Yang, Elizabeth Warren, Beto O’Rourke and Tom Steyer.

The Associated Press published connected Sunday a photograph with a caption saying it showed Routh’s location successful Kaaawa, Hawaii. The representation included a motortruck with a Biden-Harris bumper sticker parked successful the driveway, though it wasn’t wide whether the motortruck was his.

According to quality reports, Routh said successful tribunal that helium owns 2 trucks successful Hawaii and helps enactment a son.

He is besides reported to person written on social media that helium voted for Trump successful 2016.

In his 2023 publication titled “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War”, Routh criticised Trump’s determination to retreat the US from the Iran atomic deal. He wrote that helium antecedently supported Trump and was partially to blasted for Trump’s presidency, describing his earlier enactment for Trump arsenic a “terrible mistake”.

In the book, which immoderate retailers withdrew pursuing the shooting, Routh wrote: “Iran I apologize. You are escaped to assassinate Trump arsenic good arsenic maine for that mistake successful judgement and the dismantling of the deal.”

Political leanings

PolitiFact reviewed Routh’s X relationship earlier the level suspended it connected Sunday night.

Days aft a Pennsylvania gunman changeable astatine Trump, sidesplitting rally attendee Corey Comperatore and injuring 2 others too the governmental candidate, Routh wrote 2 abstracted posts addressing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. He asked them to sojourn the injured and be Comperatore’s funeral.

“Trump volition ne'er bash thing for them….show the satellite what compassion and humanity is each about,” helium wrote successful the July 17 station addressed to Harris.

On April 22, helium wrote connected X successful enactment of Biden’s then-candidacy, repeating 1 of Biden’s stump code remarks astir the stakes of the 2024 election: “Democracy is connected the ballot and we cannot lose. We cannot spend to fail. The satellite is counting connected america to amusement the way.”

But Routh besides wrote successful enactment of Republican statesmanlike superior candidates Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, addressing each of them connected January 9 with a plea to squad up for a White House bid. “Join forces with Nikki Hailey present arsenic VP to marque a winning team..please,” helium wrote to Ramaswamy, misspelling Haley’s name.

The bulk of Routh’s posts acrophobic his enactment for Ukraine successful its warfare with Russia. His posts and media interviews amusement helium visited Ukraine successful 2022 and espoused a fringe thought astir drafting Afghan soldiers to assistance Ukraine, arsenic good arsenic voicing enactment for the shipment of US weapons.

Nevertheless, Routh wrote successful enactment of Ramaswamy, who opposed continuous assistance to Ukraine, erstwhile helium suspended his run successful January, a motion of Routh’s inconsistent governmental views.

Routh wrote: “You cannot quit. Why. You indispensable enactment connected the ballot to the end. You indispensable fight.”

PolitiFact Researcher Caryn Baird and Staff Writer Jeff Cercone contributed to this report.