In the swirl of news following the arrest of a man hiding in bushes with a semiautomatic rifle at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday, posters jumped on one detail which they believe is evidence the would-be shooter was tipped off from nefarious forces around Trump.
CNN reported late Sunday night that two sources told the outlet that the golf game Trump played on Sunday was a “last-minute addition” to the president’s schedule, who had nothing publicly planned for the day.
That led to speculation online, particularly in conservative quarters, that there was a “mole” inside the Trump campaign or the Secret Service who tipped alleged suspect Ryan Routh off.
“Is President Trump bugged or is there a mole in his entourage or security,” speculated one poster who linked to a Gateway Pundit story floating the theory.
“Donald Trump’s Sunday golf outing at his Trump International Golf Club was a last-minute decision, sources told CNN,” added @CultureWar2020. “Golf outing was NOT on Trump’s public schedule. How did RYAN ROUTH Know he would be there. Was there an INSIDE source from the TRUMP Team that tipped him off ?”
According to the criminal complaint filed against Routh, who is being charged with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number, a Secret Service agent checking out the course’s perimeter while Trump golfed saw a rifle poking out of the tree line.
The agent fired in the direction of the rifle, and Routh ran to his car. Routh was quickly arrested by the Martin County Sheriff’s office after a brief car chase.
Some news reports claimed that multiple officers fired “at least four rounds” at the Secret Service agent who spotted Routh, but it was unclear if Routh fired back. Trump was the target of what “appears to be an attempted assassination,” according to the FBI.
Agents found where Routh had set up within the tree line. They recovered a digital camera, two bags, a backpack, a loaded rifle with a scope, and a black plastic bag with food in it.
After arresting Routh, law enforcement found a Facebook post from the beginning of July where Routh posted his WhatsApp number. Police then confirmed with T-Mobile, who serviced the number, that Routh was the subscriber, and got phone records showing that Routh’s phone “was located in the vicinity of the area along the tree line described above from approximately 1:59 AM until approximately 1:31 PM, on September 15, 2024.”
Routh planting himself there for at least 12 hours didn’t dissuade posters from believing he’d been given inside information.
“Trump’s golf outing was a last minute decision. How did the sh**ter know Trump would be out golfing at that exact time?” added @libsoftiktok.
Trump is a frequent golfer. The Golf News Network reported he played at his own courses or elsewhere over 300 times while he was president.
But the idea that the Secret Service might tip someone off plays into the past two months of accusations against the agency.
Conspiracy theories have swirled for months since the first assassination attempt against Trump
Then, what appears to be a series of mistakes by the Secret Service, was blamed on potentially rogue elements in the government purposefully telling the agency to stand down and let the attempt happen.
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