Lauren Tomasi: Channel 9 US Correspondent talks latest assassination attempt of Donald Trump

A second assassination attempt against Donald Trump is under the FBI microscope. 

Secret Service agents noticed a rifle barrel sticking out of a fence - after shots were fired at the former President's Florida golf course this morning.

A 58-year-old suspect has been detained - after a witness spotted him fleeing. 

Florida Correspondent Lauren Tomasi says suspect Ryan Routh is politically vocal on social media. 

She told Heather du Plessis Allan he's very pro-Ukraine and has posted about Trump before - but so far a motive is unclear.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Afternoon.

Speaker 2 (00:00):
The FBI are investigating another assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
Ryan Wesley Ruth has been identified as the suspect. Or
Ralph has been identified as the suspect. He had an
AK forty seven, two backpacks and a GoPro in the
bushes at Trump's Florida golf course where he was hiding out,
and he got as close as two hundred and seventy
five meters away from Trump. Lauren Tomasi is Channel nine's

(00:21):
US correspondent and is in Florida.

Speaker 3 (00:23):
Hey, Lauren, Hey, good evening, Heather.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
What do we know about the suspect.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
Look, so far he has been named as Ryan Raup.
This is a fifty eight year old man. He's from
Hawaii originally, but has been here in his daughter's car.
And it's all thanks to a witness that Ryan Rout
has been tracked down and now under arrest in custody
with police. That witness spotted him running from the Trump

(00:50):
golf course into his vehicle and took a photo of
that car. He then fled down the highway a couple
of kilometers, but police quickly caught up with him. Look,
he's been quite vocal on him his social media platforms
very pro Ukrainian, calling for freedom fighters to join the
fight for Ukraine, and has made multiple posts about Donald

(01:10):
Trump before. But when it comes to a motive as
to why he may have allegedly carried out this attempted assassination,
we just don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
There is a lot of criticism right now of the
Secret Service for the fact that this guy was able
to get this close to Donald Trump. Should they not, also, though,
be praised for actually stopping it.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
And certainly there is both of that from both sides
here in Florida tonight. There's questions as to how you know,
for the second time in two months, could a person
with a weapon get within striking of Donald Trump. But look,
the Secret Service certainly acted very quickly.

Speaker 3 (01:50):
This time.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
It was an agent who was one hole ahead of
Donald Trump on the golf course.

Speaker 3 (01:55):
They scout ahead of the.

Speaker 1 (01:57):
Former president as he's playing, and they spotted that tip
of the rifle in the bushes coming through the fence
of the outskirts of Donald Trump's golf course, and the
move to act quickly, around four to six shots were fired,
and that's what sent Ryan Ralph running to his vehicles.
So certainly praise for the Secret Service for acting quickly there,

(02:18):
but also.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
Questions as to why the perimeter.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
Of the golf course wasn't secured in the perth place,
and local authorities here in West Palm Beach, Florida are saying, Look,
if he was the sitting president, it may have been
a different story. But it's certainly setting an awful president
of political violence here in the United States.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
It's too right, Lauren, do you think he gets a
bump in the polls? Does this help him to get
re elected or has the previous assassination attempt already pushed
that out to its maximum limit.

Speaker 1 (02:47):
Look, it's such a rocky road here on the polls
in the United States. It's been up and down, and
this is an election cycle like you just we've never
seen before in America. After that last attempt did assassination
and Butler Pennsylvania a couple of months ago. Certainly Donald
Trump had that boost of supporter, as you say, and
he went into the Republican Convention riding that high. But

(03:08):
then around comes car La Harris changing up this road
to the White House once again things were different, and it's.

Speaker 3 (03:15):
Been neck and neck in the polls.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
Now so how does this, you know, impact his supporters.
We'll have to wait and see. But look, the thing
that is different here is this suspected shooter who is
accused of carrying out this or trying to carry out
this attempt at assassination, is alive and he'll be able
to answer questions for police.

Speaker 3 (03:35):
So there's a lot to unpack here, certainly.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
Yeah, Lawrence, and thank you very much for runningus through that.
Lauren Tomasi Channel nine's US correspondent.

Speaker 3 (03:43):
Heather Duplicity Allen.

Speaker 2 (03:45):
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