Would-be Trump Assassin Loses Mind Over Election

In a shocking turn of events, Ryan Routh, accused in the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump, has tied himself to the president-elect’s earlier would-be assassin, Thomas Crooks, through a rambling letter sent from jail. The four-page letter, obtained by Politico reporter Ankush Khardori, was penned from a federal detention center in Miami, where Routh, 58, awaits trial. He faces charges for his alleged attempt to kill Trump at his Florida golf course earlier this year.

Routh, who has pleaded not guilty, repeatedly referred to himself as the “Alleged Trump shooter” in the letter. He railed against the U.S. two-party political system, portraying it as a corrupt mechanism that perpetuates division. While expressing disdain for Trump, whom he labeled a “dictator,” Routh vehemently denied any affiliation with the Democratic Party.

The most explosive part of the letter came when Routh invoked the name of Thomas Crooks, the man who grazed Trump’s ear during a campaign event in Pennsylvania in July. Crooks was killed by Secret Service agents on the scene. Describing himself and Crooks as men “ready to die for freedom and democracy,” Routh painted a grim picture of their shared motives.

“Both of us stood for what we believed,” Routh wrote. “We understood the risks but knew the stakes for the future of this country.”

In a chilling warning written before the election, Routh suggested drastic actions if Trump were to win. “We must remove the power of our military from the President and place it with Congress before January,” he urged. He called for a limitation of presidential authority, claiming it was essential to prevent what he described as Trump’s imminent seizure of the nation.

If Vice President Kamala Harris were to win, Routh predicted chaos, urging Americans to “surround the Capitol to stop another Jan. 6” and hinting at the looming threat of “civil war.”

Routh’s arrest in September at Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach drew national attention. Federal agents captured him before he could carry out what they allege was a calculated assassination plot. Meanwhile, the echoes of Crooks’ attack in July linger, a haunting reminder of the polarizing state of American politics.

Trump has yet to publicly address Routh’s claims or the contents of the letter. His campaign, however, has used these incidents to emphasize the dangers of political extremism.

The case against Routh promises to be a spectacle, with implications for national security and the ongoing debate over political rhetoric in the U.S. courtroom.