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This year's race to the White House has been far from normal. A last minute drop-out, a breathtakingly near assassination attempt, and a candidate who still falsely claims to have won the previous election. Now, just days after Trump and Harris’ crucial debate, we can add another assassination attempt onto the pile of extraordinary chaos of American politics
There are multiple ways to take a renewed attempt on Trump’s life. President Biden and Vice-President Harris responded immediately on X (formerly Twitter) condemning the violence and wishing the former president well. Many commentators and politicians, including Trump, praised the diligence of the Secret Service in thwarting the plot. Of course, some have offered alternative interpretations. Elon Musk, who owns and controls the X platform, tweeted that he wondered why nobody had tried to assassinate President Biden in a twisted implication that Biden wasn’t important enough to go to the trouble of bumping off. He quickly deleted the tweet.
Many in the MAGA camp claim that rhetoric from the Democratic campaign is to blame for the recent threats to Trump’s safety. Commonly cited is the instance when Biden referred to Trump as a ‘bullseye’, for which Biden has apologised. Evidence for this accusation is fairly flimsy, especially in light of the repeated and resolute condemnation of violence issued by the White House.
But what do we know about the suspect in the recent assassination attempt? Ryan Wesley Routh camped out on Trump’s golf course in Florida, lying in wait for the President with a SKS-style rifle. When purveying the area, a member of the secret service saw the barrel of his gun sticking out of a bush and opened fire. Routh fled and was apprehended later by police.
Routh’s social media history show that he was deeply devoted in his support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, encouraging others to join the effort however they can. He even travelled to Ukraine, but did not actually fight. The International Legion have distanced themselves from Routh, claiming that he was never associated with their organisation in any way.
Routh was registered as an unaffiliated voter. He suggested in a post on X that he supported Trump in 2016, but had become disillusioned by 2020. Online federal election records show small donations that he made towards Democratic party organisations, and is believed to support the Biden-Harris ticket in this election.
Routh has a trail of legal infractions going back to the 1990s. Among them include theft and felony offences related to illegal possession of firearms. Routh has already been brought in front of a judge on charges of firearm offences. The charges did not include any attempts to murder Trump, although the FBI investigation is ongoing. Routh was spotted before he ever had a clear line of sight towards Trump, and he did not fire a weapon at any point.
The fatal shooting at the rally in Pennsylvania on July 13th, which shaved Trump’s ear and killed two crowd members, had significant effects on the nature of the race. Already growing in opposition to the ailing image of Biden, the energy behind Trump’s campaign intensified as he turned into a martyr. Christian references to divine intervention, albeit somewhat sloppy, abounded.
The same is not true this time around. Between the 13th of July and now, the tables are turned. After what may be the only debate between Harris and Trump a fortnight ago, the momentum is very much behind the Democratic camp. Indeed, the instant reach for conspiracy theories by right wing media in support of Trump, such as Turning Point USA, and Trump’s inner circle, such as Laura Loomer, have not bolstered Trump’s image as an enduring hero but instead reinforced the weird and unhinged image of the Trump campaign.
Whatever effect this latest development will have on the undecided American voters, let’s hope that it is the last instance of attempted political violence in this election. Aside from the grave consequences it poses for liberal democracy, this dog-eat-dog race (excuse the reference) is already giving us plenty to worry about.
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