FACT CHECK: Was Trump’s Would-Be Assassin A Registered Republican?
A post shared on social media purports that former President Donald Trump’s would-be assassin, Ryan Wesley Routh, is a registered Republican.
Verdict: False
Routh is registered as “unaffiliated.”
Fact Check:
Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley revealed that the Secret Service told local police they would take the responsibility of securing the building that Thomas Crooks used to shoot Trump in July, Fox News reported.
A post shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, alleges that Ryan Wesley Routh is a member of the Republican party. The post shared two photos of Routh in a suit, one in front of the Captiol Building.
The caption reads, “TRUMP SHOOTER: Ryan Wesley Routh, who tried to assassinate Trump, is a Republican, gun enthusiast, and Covid conspiracy theorist, who supported Haley and was a ‘Never Trumper’ despite voting for Trump.”
The claim is inaccurate. A search through Guilford County, North Carolina voting records show that as of 2012 Routh was registered as unaffiliated. He also voted in the state’s Democratic Primary in 2024.
Furthermore, the federal elections commission shows that he has a record of small donations to a Democratic political action committee ActBlue. In 2020 Routh posted on X about his disappointment in the Trump administration and shared his hope for Trump to be out of office saying, “it seems you are getting worse and devolving; are you retarded; I will be glad when you gone.” (RELATED: Did JD Vance Follow Trump Would-Be Assassin On Social Media)
Reports indicate that Routh had been arrested several times prior to his attempt, including once for a standoff in 2002, according to New York Post.
This is not the first time misinformation has circulated online. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim that the military was being deployed to Springfield, Ohio to protect pets.