The gunman who authorities say tried to kill former President Donald Trump on Sunday had previously pledged to support Ukraine in its war with Russia, even going so far as to say he was ready to “fight and die” for Kyiv, according to reports.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was charged with two federal firearms offenses on Monday, the day after he took aim at Trump from 400 yards away over a fence at a West Palm Beach club where the former president was playing golf.
But shortly before his arrest, Routh had been trying on social media to recruit volunteers to fight in Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal reported.
“I would be thrilled to be invited to join any great worthwhile cause that would bring about real change in the world,” Rouse once wrote on his LinkedIn profile. “I am free to emigrate to any remote corner of the globe where I believe I can make the greatest positive impact.”
When Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Routh began calling on non-Ukrainians to cross into the country to fight, writing that he was ready to “fight and die” for the cause, according to the outlet.
“We need to burn down the Kremlin and put an end to Putin and Russia,” he wrote at the time, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Routh then traveled to Kyiv in April 2022, where he was denied entry into Ukrainian military service and began persuading others to join the fighting.
“That was his main mission. It was a mission that he set for himself,” Chris Lutz, a German humanitarian volunteer who knew Laus in Ukraine, told The Wall Street Journal. “He wasn't officially commissioned by the Ukrainian military. It was just his personal mission.”
After his arrival, Routh also tweeted to the official account of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, writing that he was in Kiev and planned to build a tent city in the capital to attract foreign fighters.
“We are able to muster significant support and equipment,” he wrote.
Routh, who often wore an American flag T-shirt or bandana, told the Romanian edition of Newsweek in 2022 that the conflict was “definitely black and white.”
“This is a battle between good and evil,” he said.
“Losing this war is not an option,” he wrote on his website, according to the media, and pleaded with people around the world to “join this fight.”
“Ryan was more of a freshman cheerleader,” Latz said. “He became kind of a mascot.”
Routh subsequently clashed with the International Association of Veterans of Ukraine, whose officials believed Routh was falsely claiming ties to the organization.
Frustrated by his inability to take part in the war, Rouse turned his attention to defense production and arms imports, working to secure a contract to build drones in Ukraine, according to the Wall Street Journal.
“He always wore the American flag and had this crazy haircut, but now he's in suits,” Johnny Rogers, an American who worked for a medical NGO in Ukraine, told the outlet. “When he was in a suit, he was actively trying to get defense deals. He was trying every angle to get a job in the military. He wanted to be a player.”
But by last spring, the funding had run out, Rogers told the outlet.
Rouse studied mechanical engineering at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University until 1998, and moved to Hawaii before the war turned his attention to Ukraine.
Routh was charged with possession of a firearm after a prior felony conviction and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number, which authorities said could bring a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison if convicted on the first charge and five years on the second charge.
Prosecutors said the investigation continues and additional charges may be filed against the suspect as prosecutors seek to file charges.
Routh's detention hearing is scheduled for Sept. 23 and his arraignment hearing is scheduled for Sept. 30.
