Trump Fears for Family’s Safety After Two Assassination Attempts Just Weeks Apart: "We’re Under Siege"

Trigger Warning: This article contains themes of gun violence that some readers may find distressing.

On September 15, Donald Trump was once again targeted by an alleged assassin while he was playing golf in West Palm Beach, Florida. This was the second threat to his life in just two months, the first one being in July, during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. In light of this, the former President spoke candidly about his concerns during a recent interview with Fox News host, Brian Kilmeade. 

“I don’t talk about it, but I...worry about my family. I have to worry about everybody,” he said, as reported by The Independent. “I worry about you,” he also said to Kilmeade. Although the two assassins were Caucasian and American-born, citing the two incidents, Trump launched into a conversation about immigration– one of his key campaign arguments. He said, “Look, we’re under siege and no country has ever suffered like we have for the last three-and-a-half, almost four years." He added, “When they allow millions of people to come into our country, from prisons...And terrorists, and people from mental institutions; they take over our parks. Look at New York– you can’t play Little League baseball anymore."

Kilmeade also asked Trump if he thought J.D. Vance would get a fair chance in his debate with Tim Walz. As reported by Fox News, Trump said, "He won’t get a fair shot. But he will handle it very good. I think he’s done great. People are really liking him. He’s tough, smart, [and] he loves our country. He’s going to have no trouble."

Earlier, while recounting the second assassination attempt, Trump had remarked, “Everything was beautiful, nice place to be, and all of a sudden we heard shots being fired in the air. Secret Service knew immediately it was bullets.” As reported by TIME Magazine, he added, “We got into the carts and we moved along pretty good. I was with an agent and the agent did a fantastic job, there was no question that we were off that course. The Secret Service did a great job, everybody did a great job.”

The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh is now in police custody. Interestingly, he once shared on social media that he had voted for Trump in 2016. In a June 2020 post on his X account (which is now suspended), he wrote, “@realDonaldTrump While you were my choice in 2106 [sic], I and the world hoped that President Trump would be different and better than the candidate." He added, "But we all were greatly disappointed and it seems you are getting worse and devolving. I will be glad when you are gone.” 

The would-be assassin had also previously written about the idea of assassinating Trump in a self-published e-book in 2023. He penned, “I am man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake. You are free to assassinate Trump as well as me for that error in judgment.” He added, “No one here in the U.S. seems to have the balls to put natural selection to work or even unnatural selection.” Route had a long criminal record, with convictions serious enough to have prevented him from owning a gun.

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