Son of suspect who authorities say tried to kill Trump breaks silence on violent accusations
The son of Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspected gunman in a second assassination attempt on former President Trump, says his father hated Trump but argued he was not a violent person.
Oran Routh told the Daily Mail that his father disliked Trump
“as every reasonable person does,” adding that he himself was not a fan. He reportedly expressed disbelief that his father could resort to violence and target the former president, however.
“He’s my dad and all he’s had is couple traffic tickets, as far as I know,” the son said. “That’s crazy. I know my dad and love my dad, but that’s nothing like him.”
“He said he was at the beach, but I thought that meant the outer banks in Hawaii,” he said. “I didn’t ask him for more information because we’ve had a falling out. We’ve grown apart.”
Routh has been living in Hawaii with his longtime girlfriend for multiple years, the Mail reported.
“He’s not a violent person,” Oran added. “He’s a hard worker and a great dad. He’s a great dude, a nice guy and has worked his whole f**king life.”
Authorities said Routh allegedly shoved the muzzle of his rifle through a chain-linked fence about 300 to 500 yards away from Trump while the former president was playing golf.
Routh fled the scene and was quickly apprehended.
Trump was rushed to safety shortly after Secret Service agents fired on Rout. The gunman was lying in wait just one hole away from the former president when he was discovered.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe is on the ground in West Palm Beach, Florida following the second assassination attempt against former President Trump on Monday.
Rowe took over the agency following the resignation of ex-Director Kimberly Cheatle, who was harshly criticized for her handling of the first assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Rowe, as acting director, has leaped into the forefront of the House Oversight Committee’s investigation of the agency’s failures that nearly allowed 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks to kill Trump during a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday, July 13.
Rowe is now responsible for leading the more than 7,800 special agents, uniformed division officers and technical law enforcement officers, as well as administrative and technical staff.
Rowe, a 24-year veteran of the Secret Service, has served in a multitude of leadership positions within the agency. Rowe was also assigned to the Presidential Protective Detail during the Bush administration from 2004 to 2008.
Prior to joining the Secret Service, Rowe served as a police officer in West Palm Beach, where Sunday’s incident occurred.
Ryan Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate
former President Trump on Sunday, has had at least 100 run-ins with law enforcement before his most recent arrest.
A background check on Routh revealed that he currently lives in Hawaii and has faced dozens of run-ins with police, stretching back to at least the 1990s.
His list of arrests includes simple drug possession, driving without a license, expired inspection and operating a vehicle with no insurance. In addition, the Greensboro News & Record reported in 2002 that Routh was arrested after barricading himself in his roofing company’s office during a three-hour standoff that followed a traffic stop in which he put his hand on a gun before fleeing.
Routh was arrested shortly after the incident at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. Authorities said Secret Service agents fired at him after seeing the muzzle of his AK-47 pointing through a chain-link fence one hole ahead of where Trump was playing a round.
Kai Trump, the eldest grandchild of former President Trump
and daughter of Donald Trump Jr., addressed what would be the first assassination attempt on her grandfather during the Republican National Convention in July.
Kai, 17, said at the time that she was “shocked” and found the incident that unfolded on the stage of a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, to be “heartbreaking.”
“On Saturday, I was shocked when I heard that he had been shot, and I just wanted to know if he was OK,” she said during the speech, recounting that it took roughly 90 minutes to find out her grandfather survived.
“It was heartbreaking that someone would do that to another person.”
She also expressed pride in how her grandfather handled the moment.
Kai said she had “never seen anything like” the iconic scene of Trump getting up and pumping his fist in the aftermath of the shot that grazed his ear.
“I thought it was amazing and so strong, and you can’t fake that in the moment at all,” she said of the scene. “That means he truly cares, and he’s fighting for America.”
Trump was the target of a second assassination attempt on Sunday while golfing at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday that his state will conduct a separate investigation into how a second gunman was able to get within 500 yards of former President Trump.
The former president
was playing a round at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, when the U.S. Secret Service opened fire on Ryan Wesley Routh, who was allegedly armed with a rifle.
Authorities said Routh had a GoPro camera and two backpacks, and allegedly shoved the muzzle of his rifle through a chain-linked fence about 300 to 500 yards away from the former president.
The agents fired at Routh after they saw him raising the weapon, Fox News’ Lucas Tomlinson confirmed. Routh then fled in a black Nissan but was apprehended quickly, authorities said.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Greg Wehner
Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the second assassination attempt against former President Trump, was seen laughing in the courtroom as he was charged with federal gun crimes Monday.
He was charged with possession of firearm by convicted felon and possession of firearm with obliterated serial number. FOX has been told additional federal charges are possible.
Routh will be arraigned on Sept. 30.
Routh has been in custody since Sunday afternoon, when he attempted to lie in ambush at Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida. A Secret Service agent saw Routh’s AK-47-style rifle poking through a fence and agents opened fire.
Routh was not hit, and he fled without returning fire. A witness saw him enter a black Nissan and photographed the vehicle for police. Routh was soon apprehended in a nearby county.
The suspect was being held at the Palm Beach County jail, which lies just across the street from Trump International Golf Course. It is unclear where Routh will be taken following Monday’s court proceedings.
Fox News’ Heather Lacy and Shona Holagh contributed to this report
President Biden briefly responded to questions from reporters outside the White House about the second assassination attempt of former President Trump.
Biden greeted reporters on the South Lawn of the White House as he was leaving for Marine One.
“Thank god the president is okay,” Biden said of Trump when reporters asked for more information about the assassination attempt.
“The one thing I want to make more clear is service needs more help and I think Congress should respond to their needs,” Biden continued.
One reporter can be heard asking: “What kind of help do they need?”
“I think they may need – they’re deciding whether they need more personnel or not,” Biden responded before continuing toward Marine One.
Trump was golfing Sunday at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, when Secret Service agents
thwarted the assassination attempt, firing on a suspect who authorities say was poking a rifle through the fence just one hole, about 300 yards, ahead of the former president.
The suspect, identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh of North Carolina, was arrested a short time later after a witness shared a photo of the suspect’s vehicle with authorities.
Routh will appear in federal court in West Palm on Monday morning, where he is expected to face federal charges.
EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump said President Biden and Vice President Harris’ “rhetoric” is what is causing him to be “shot at,” following the second assassination attempt against him since July, while telling Fox News Digital that the suspected gunman “acted” on “highly inflammatory language” of Democrats.
Trump spoke exclusively with Fox News Digital Monday morning, just a day after he was rushed off of the golf course at Trump International in West Palm Beach, Fla., after the Secret Service discovered a gunman in the bushes.
The suspected gunman, Ryan Wesley Routh, had an AK-47 style rifle pointing through the chain-link fence out toward the green; a go-pro camera; and two backpacks. He ran from the scene but was pulled over and arrested on I-95.
Authorities are treating the episode as an apparent assassination attempt against Trump.
Trump was safe following the second assassination attempt against him since July.
“He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it,” Trump said of the gunman in an interview with Fox News Digital. “Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country — both from the inside and out.”
Trump pointed to Biden and Harris’ past comments casting Trump as a “threat to democracy,” while telling Americans they are “unity” leaders.
“They are the opposite,” Trump said. “These are people that want to destroy our country.”
He added: “It is called the enemy from within. They are the real threat.”
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Brooke Singman
The suspect in the second
assassination attempt of former President Trump urged Iran to kill him in an apparently self-published book.
“You are free to assassinate Trump,” Routh wrote of Iran in the book, “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War,” The Associated Press reported.
The book, published in 2023, described the former president as a “fool” and “buffoon” for both the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots and the “tremendous blunder” of leaving the Iran nuclear deal.
Routh described himself online as an initial supporter of Trump before developing a disdain for the former president.
Routh was arrested Sunday after the Secret Service thwarted the assassination attempt. Authorities said that Routh stalked Trump as he golfed in West Palm Beach, Florida, with a AK-47-style rifle.
Reps. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Jason Crow, D-Co., joined ‘America’s Newsroom’ to discuss the second attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life
and lingering questions on the incident as the investigation continues Monday.
Crow opened by condemning the assassination attempt, saying political violence “has no place” in our country. Kelley added that the Secret Service has told the House task force investigating Trump’s first assassination attempt that the agency is short on staff.
“We’ve reached a point right now where the rhetoric has hit a fever pitch
,” Kelley said. “First of all, the event in Butler was a public event. We had 25-30 thousand people. And when Trump is playing golf at Trump International – how did the shooter know he was coming? In Butler, everyone knew he was coming. There were preparations that should have been put in place.”
Crow added that the House will be investigating whether Secret Service protocols were followed in the Florida incident. He said it the agency appeared not to follow protocols in the Butler, Pennsylvania, assassination attempt.
Palm Beach County, Florida, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw joined Fox News to explain the investigation into the second assassination attempt against former President Trump on Monday.
Bradshaw said authorities are looking into whether the suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, had a place where he was staying locally in Florida. Routh’s main residence has been in Hawaii in recent years.
Bradshaw confirmed that Routh is being held in the Palm Beach county jail ahead of his court appearance later Monday.
“Right now, its about gathering some more forensics if we can and see where the gun came from,” Bradshaw said.
He went on to say that Routh has not spoken to police, though he could not comment on whether Routh had already obtained legal representation.
Bradshaw credited the Secret Service agents for opening fire on Routh before he could attack the former president. He said the Secret Service patrols at least one hole ahead of Trump when he plays golf.
Ryan Routh, the man accused of trying to assassinate former President Trump on Sunday, will appear in federal court in West Palm on Monday morning.
Routh is expected to face federal charges, though it is unclear whether he will face state charges.
Routh, a 58-year-old native of North Carolina, was being held at Palm Beach County Jail after authorities captured him Sunday.
As Trump was golfing
at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., Secret Service agents fired shots after spotting someone poking a rifle through the fence at the golf course just one hole away from the former president.
The suspect fled, but was authorities quickly captured the suspect, identified as Routh, after a witness shared a photo of his vehicle.
Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report.
A Democratic congressman demanded that the U.S. Secret Service expand the protective perimeter around former President Donald Trump following a second assassination attempt on Sunday.
“Two assassination attempts in 60 days on a former President & the Republican nominee is unacceptable,” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., wrote. “The Secret Service must come to Congress tomorrow, tell us what resources are needed to expand the protective perimeter, & lets allocate it in a bipartisan vote the same day.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he was briefed by the acting director of the Secret Service and applauded the Secret Service “for their quick response to ensure former President Trump’s safety.”
“There is no place in this country for political violence of any kind,” Schumer wrote. “The perpetrator must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., appeared to reference the assassination attempt on Trump indirectly in a social media post.
“Political violence has no place in a democratic society,” Jeffries wrote.
Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a Florida Democrat running against Republican Sen. Rick Scott for his seat in the upper chamber, also appeared to allude to the assassination attempt with a broader message.
“Gun violence, and political violence, have no place in our society. PERIOD,” she wrote on X.
Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., said the level of resources assigned to former President Trump are a failure, and called on President Biden and Vice President Harris to ask that additional security be assigned to the former president after a second assassination attempt on Sunday.
Lee, a member of the bipartisan House task force investigating the previous attempted assassination of Trump in Butler, Pa., in July, told “Fox & Friends” that the threat to Trump is “extreme” and requires a stronger level of security.
“President Biden and Vice President Harris should call for a full presidential level detail to be assigned to President Trump,” Lee said. “Clearly the threat to him is extreme and that needs to happen immediately.”
Lee said that spending priorities need to be investigated so that any security “failures” can be addressed.
“As Congress, we have an obligation to look at the entire Department of Homeland Security, see where there spending priorities are, see where that money is going,” Lee said. “Absolutely there are places we could be cutting the spending at Homeland Security and those resources may need to go to Secret Service to make sure they have a full complement of agents who are the best and the brightest.”
Secret Service agents thwarted the apparent attempt on Trump’s life while the former president was golfing at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Sunday. Agents fired on a suspect who was poking a rifle through the fence just one hole ahead of the former president.
The suspect was eventually apprehended through the help of a witness who shared a photo of the suspect’s getaway vehicle.
West Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg detailed the potential charges that suspect Ryan Wesley Routh
could face following the second assassination attempt against former President Trump.
Aronberg appeared on Fox News Monday morning and said Routh will be prosecuted under federal rather than state law, and he will appear in court either Monday or Tuesday. Aronberg said his office had been working on warrants for pre-trial detention before federal authorities took over the case.
Aronberg added that he expects Routh to be charged with aggravated assault with a firearm against a federal law enforcement officer, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
“He’s also apparently an ex-felon in possession of a firearm. That can get you up to 10 years in prison. That’s the easiest charge to prove of all,” Aronberg said. “He’s also perhaps being investigated for a threat against a former president, which can get you up to five years in prison.”
Aronberg noted that Routh was carrying a GoPro camera at the time of the incident. He said depending on the contents of the camera, it could be used as evidence against Routh.
Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity spoke with former President Trump
on Sunday moments after an apparent assassination attempt in Florida and gave grim details on what may have been the second attempt on Trump’s life in just two months.
Hannity joined fellow hosts Eric Shawn and Arthel Neville as the news was breaking, telling viewers he had just spoken with Trump and Miami real estate developer Steven Witkoff, who were on the fifth hole at about 1:30 p.m. when shots rang out at the Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach.
“Within seconds, the Secret Service pounced on the president and covered him,” Hannity said. “You had snipers with tripods. They knew the direction where the shots had been fired. And they had eyes on the location where the shots had been fired,” Hannity said, adding that Secret Service whisked the president away to the clubhouse.
It was later determined that the shots had been fired by Secret Service agents who saw the suspect with an AK-47, which he discarded as he fled in a black Nissan. The man, who was not identified, was arrested a short time later.
Sunday’s shooting comes approximately two months after an assassination attempt on Trump just minutes after he began a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Hannity said Trump’s main concern upon reaching the clubhouse seemed to be to make sure everyone was OK. The former president quipped that he regretted not being able to finish the hole he was on.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Bradford Betz
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., joined “Fox & Friends” on Monday morning to share details about his meeting with former President Trump at Mar-a-Lago shortly after Secret Service agents thwarted a second assassination attempt on the former president.
“He was in very good spirits,” Johnson said of Trump, “as you might expect, that’s who he is, so resilient.”
“There has been no leader in the history of America who has been so attacked and has remained so strong and so resilient,” Johnson said. “He is one-of-a-kind. He is not going to stop fighting for the American people.”
Trump was golfing at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., when Secret Service agents fired on a suspect who was poking a rifle through the fence just one hole ahead of the former president. The suspect was eventually apprehended through the help of a witness who shared a photo of the suspect’s getaway vehicle. The incident comes two months after Trump survived a previous assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Penn.
Johnson said that Trump surviving two assassination attempts was not luck, but rather providence.
“God has spared his life twice now,” Johnson said, adding that he thinks the second assassination attempt has moved Trump’s heart as the former president continues to process the incident.
Johnson also said he believes Trump needs more security following the attempts, noting that a lack of manpower, not funding, is likely holding back additional security coverage.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., blasted the Secret Service and other authorities for not securing the area around former President Trump before another attempted assassination attempt against him on Sunday.
Burchett spoke to Eric Shawn on “Fox News Live” about ongoing details regarding the assassination attempt outside Trump International Golf Club where Trump was playing golf at the time. Authorities have said the suspect, later identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, was 300 to 500 yards before Secret Service opened fire against him.
The congressman wants answers on how the suspect was able to get that close to the former president and revealed that other lawmakers are already demanding more security measures.
“They are already calling now. And you got to ask yourself, why was there not a drone flying over wherever the president is? This is ridiculous,” Burchett said.
While he had harsh criticism for the Secret Service, the Tennessee lawmaker complimented the agents who were able to spot and open fire on the suspect.
“The problem is you’ve got a Secret Service
, at least in my opinion, and in the public’s eye, that is compromised and that it lacks in leadership. And you’ve got great agents on the ground, obviously, one who took that shot. But why in the world would anybody be anywhere near the perimeter of this? This line of sight that we talk about is just beyond me. So we’ve got to get some answers. I don’t think we’re going to get them during this administration, but hopefully, under the Trump administration, we’ll clean this rat’s nest out,” Burchett said.
He added, “There is no way in hell that somebody should have been that close to President Trump with an AK Steel or AK-47 or whatever it was with a scope.”
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick
The 58-year-old man accused of pointing an AK-47 at former President Donald Trump on Sunday afternoon has a prolific arrest record that spans several decades.
Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested shortly after the incident at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. Authorities said Secret Service agents fired at him after seeing the muzzle of his AK-47 pointing through a chain-link fence one hole ahead of where Trump was playing.
Authorities are treating the episode as an apparent assassination attempt on Trump.
A background check on the name given by officials, Ryan Wesley Routh, revealed that he currently lives in Hawaii and has faced dozens of run-ins with police, stretching back to at least the 1990s.
Routh is a native of North Carolina, where his list of arrests includes simple drug possession, driving without a license, expired inspection and operating a vehicle with no insurance. In addition, the Greensboro News & Record reported in 2002 that Routh was arrested after barricading himself in his roofing company’s office during a three-hour standoff that followed a traffic stop in which he put his hand on a gun before fleeing.
Routh moved to Hawaii in 2017, records show. He has since launched another construction company in Hawaii that builds simple housing structures for homeless people, according to a LinkedIn page that appears to belong to Routh.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Emma Colton
Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance,
R-Ohio, responded to the second attempted assassination on his running mate, former President Trump.
Vance wrote in a post on social media that he was “glad” Trump was safe after the incident at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., where the former president was playing a round on Sunday.
“I spoke to [Trump] before the news was public and he was, amazingly, in good spirits,” Vance wrote. “Still much we don’t know, but I’ll be hugging my kids extra tight tonight and saying a prayer of gratitude.”
Secret Service agents fired shots after spotting someone hiding in shrubbery and poking a rifle through the fence at the golf course just one hole away from the former president.
The suspect, identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, a native of North Carolina, fled from the golf course, but was quickly captured by authorities after a witness shared a photo of his vehicle.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe is in West Palm Beach today meeting with local law enforcement and members of the Secret Service following a second assassination attempt against former President Trump.
Secret Service Chief Spokesman Anthony Guglielmi confirmed Rowe’s presence in a statement to Fox News on Sunday. Rowe will conduct a walkthrough of the site of the shooting later Monday.
Rowe joined the Secret Service in 1999, prior to which he served as a police officer in West Palm Beach.
Trump was declared safe shortly after Sunday’s incident, where suspected gunman Ryan Wesley Routh
was found lying in wait in bushes just one hole away from the former president. Secret Service agents opened fire on him before he could act. He fled, but was soon apprehended thanks to a witness who photographed his escape vehicle, a black Nissan.
Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report
Florida authorities say an unknown witness took a photo of the suspected Trump gunman’s car after he saw Ryan Welsey Routh flee out of bushes on Sunday.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw delivered a press conference alongside FBI and other law enforcement shortly after the incident Sunday.
“We were able to locate a witness who came to us and said, ‘Hey, I saw the guy running out of the bushes. He jumped into a black Nissan,” Bradshaw said. He added that the witness took a photo of the vehicle, including its “tag.”
The vehicle was later found on I-95 heading toward Martin County. The Martin County’s Sheriff’s Office then stopped the vehicle and detained Routh.
Police later discovered an AK-47 in the bushes near where Trump was playing golf. It had a scope, and two backpacks were discovered next to it, along with a GoPro.
President Biden on Sunday condemned “political violence” following the second assassination attempt on former President Trump earlier in the day.
The Democratic president said he had been briefed on the incident and the federal investigation into the matter.
“A suspect is in custody, and I commend the work of the Secret Service and their law enforcement partners for their vigilance and their efforts to keep the former President and those around him safe,” Biden said in a statement, adding that he was “relieved” the
Republican presidential candidate was “unharmed.”
“There is an active investigation into this incident as law enforcement gathers more details about what happened,” Biden said. “As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country, and I have directed my team to continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety.”
Trump torches Biden-Harris ‘dangerous rhetoric’ for fueling new assassination attempt
EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump said President Biden and Vice President Harris’ “rhetoric” is what is causing him to be “shot at,” following the second assassination attempt against him since July, while telling Fox News Digital that the suspected gunman “acted” on “highly inflammatory language” of Democrats.
Trump spoke exclusively with Fox News Digital Monday morning, just a day after he was rushed off of the golf course at Trump International in West Palm Beach, Fla., after the Secret Service discovered a gunman in the bushes.
WHO IS RYAN WESLEY ROUTH: ALLEGED GUNMAN AT TRUMP GOLF CLUB
The suspected gunman, Ryan Wesley Routh, had an AK-47 style rifle pointing through the chain-link fence out toward the green; a go-pro camera; and two backpacks. He ran from the scene but was pulled over and arrested on I-95.
Authorities are treating the episode as an apparent assassination attempt against Trump.
Trump was safe following the second assassination attempt against him since July.
“He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it,” Trump said of the gunman in an interview with Fox News Digital. “Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country — both from the inside and out.”
Trump pointed to Biden and Harris’ past comments casting Trump as a “threat to democracy,” while telling Americans they are “unity” leaders.
“They are the opposite,” Trump said. “These are people that want to destroy our country.”
He added: “It is called the enemy from within. They are the real threat.”
A background check on the name given by officials, Ryan Wesley Routh, revealed that he currently lives in Hawaii and has faced dozens of run-ins with police, stretching back to at least the 1990s.
Routh previously echoed Biden and Harris’ anti-Trump comments, that “Democracy is on the ballot” on his social media pages this year, and that Democrats “cannot lose.”
TRUMP SAFE AFTER ‘GUNSHOTS IN HIS VICINITY,’ CAMPAIGN SAYS
Routh posted about politics often and donated to only Democrat candidates and causes.
“They do it with a combination of rhetoric and lawsuits they wrap me up in,” Trump said. “These are the things that dangerous fools, like the shooter, listen to — that is the rhetoric they listen to, and the same with the first one.”
Democrats, meanwhile, have repeatedly blamed Trump for raising the temperature and have accused him of being a “threat to democracy,” particularly due to his handling of the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Over the weekend, Biden suggested Trump was trying to incite violence, referring to his comments about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio.
Biden, at an event over the weekend, said “any president should reject hate in America” and “not incite it.”
The White House, Harris’ campaign, and the office of Minnesota Gov. Time Walz, Harris’ running mate, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Trump also said Biden and Harris’ policies are “destroying” the country “by allowing millions of very dangerous migrants to pour into it and destroying our country and cities.”
“On the outside, we are weak and feeble and not respected by the world anymore,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, reflecting back on the debate against Harris last week, Trump slammed the media.
“The media is made up of fools that will spew [Democrats’] garbage and spew their sick philosophies and will protect them at all costs, and they can’t believe they get away with it,” Trump said. “Democrats are totally protected by the media.”
Trump said the debate on ABC News last week “was so biased and so out of control.”
“Harris was the one lying about Project 2025, she lied about abortion, she lied about everything,” Trump said. “She was correcting me.”
“It was three against one,” he said. “I was surprised at David Muir. I thought he was a high-quality person, but he is just a sleeze like the rest of them.”
CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
But with just 50 days until Election Day, Trump warned Democrats to watch their rhetoric.
“They use highly inflammatory language,” he said. “I can use it too — far better than they can — but I don’t.”
The latest assassination attempt came after Trump was shot in the ear at a Pennsylvania rally by a gunman who killed one person and wounded others before being fatally shot by police on July 13.
Harris critics deliver verdict first solo interview dubbed a ‘train wreck’
Social media users declared that Vice President Kamala Harris’ first solo sit-down interview this week proved that she does not have what it takes to assume the office of the presidency.
Harris’ interview with Philadelphia’s 6 ABC anchor Brian Taff went viral on social media Friday as it featured her giving answers that were criticized as being overlong and devoid of substance about her actual economic policies.
Harris’ critics on X claimed that the conversation proved her unfitness for office. “Oh my goodness this is an absolute train wreck,” digital strategist Greg Price wrote about the interview on the social media platform.
TRUMP APPEARS TO LEAVE DOOR OPEN FOR SECOND DEBATE WITH HARRIS: ‘MAYBE IF I GOT IN THE RIGHT MOOD’
The vice president’s interview took a ton of heat online for one answer in particular, where she gave a meandering response about growing up middle class to a direct question about what policies she will enact to provide economic relief to Pennsylvanians.
“When we talk about bringing down prices and making life more affordable for people, what are one or two specific things you have in mind for that?” Taff asked.
Harris replied, stating, “Well, I’ll start with this. I grew up a middle-class kid. My mother raised my sister and me. She worked very hard. She was able to finally save up enough money to buy our first house when I was a teenager.”
The Democratic candidate continued: “I grew up in a community of hard-working people, you know, construction workers and nurses and teachers. And I try to explain to some people who may not have had the same experience. You know, a lot of people will relate to this.”
At first, Harris declined to mention any policy, continuing to go on about growing “up in a neighborhood of folks who were very proud of their lawn.” After more dialogue about her mother, she finally touted her proposals to give start-up businesses a “$50,000 tax deduction” and new home buyers a “$25,000 down payment assistance.”
VOTERS GIVE HARRIS THE WIN, BUT PRAISE TRUMP ON POLICY: SHE GOT UNDER HIS SKIN
For some X users, the answer offered more proof of Harris being unqualified for office.
Daily Wire reporter Ryan Saavedra wrote, “This interview that Kamala Harris gave is truly staggering. Never have seen a politician this nervous, this unprepared for the office they are running for, and this clueless headed into an election. Kind of scary to be honest.”
Culture reporter Matt Kadish remarked, “Usually, going through the primary process weeds out the people who aren’t ready for prime time. Womp, Womp.”
Author Tim Murtaugh claimed, “Kamala Harris is getting roasted over her first solo (taped) TV interview tonight and there are no Democrat accounts out here defending her.”
The Trump War Room X account compared Harris’ interview answers to similar answers she gave during her debate with former President Trump.
The account stated, “Kamala during the debate on the economy: ‘I grew up a middle class kid…’ Kamala three days later on the economy: ‘I grew up a middle class kid…’ She has no plan for America; all she can do is repeat the same rehearsed talking points.”
The Harris campaign did not immediately to Fox News Digital‘s request for comment.
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New poll shows VP Harris surging in state thought to be safe bet for Trump
Vice President Kamala Harris has made up significant ground on former President Trump in Iowa, a state previously thought to be safely in the former president’s column.
Harris has narrowed Trump’s lead to four points, trailing the former president 47% to 43% in Iowa, according to the latest Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll released Sunday.
The poll represents a shocking reversal from where Trump stood in the state in spring, when the Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll showed Trump leading President Biden by 18 points in Iowa, 50% to 32%.
“I wouldn’t say 4 points is comfortable” for Trump, pollster J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Co., told the Des Moines Register in reaction to the poll, the first Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll to be released since Harris became the Democratic nominee. “The race has tightened significantly.”
ABC DEBATE MODERATORS SPARK FURY FOR AGGRESSIVE FACT-CHECKING OF TRUMP, EASY TREATMENT OF HARRIS
Iowa has long been an afterthought in this year’s race, not typically included as a swing state along with the group of Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, with most analysts believing the state to be safely red. Trump won the state by nearly 10 percentage points in 2016 and a similar margin in 2020, a margin that would be seemingly difficult to overcome for Harris in 2024.
But Iowa has been a swing state in the past, going to Democratic Vice President Al Gore in 2000, Republican President George W. Bush in 2004, and former President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.
While one poll is unlikely to change the overall dynamic of the race, Harris’ ability to put former Midwestern swing states such as Iowa or Ohio in play could put her in a stronger position come November.
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The Harris surge in Iowa can largely be attributed to female voters, with the poll finding the vice president leads Trump among women 53% to 36%. Meanwhile, Trump leads among men in the state 59% to 32%.
Women are also more likely to vote than they were in previous versions of the survey, with 8% more women indicating they will vote in this year’s election than in the June poll.
Other groups that showed an uptick in plans to vote included those younger than 45 (10% increase), those from cities (6%), and those with a college degree (9%).
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“This poll may be catching newly energized voters who thought they would sit out the election at the time our June poll was taken,” Selzer said.
The poll was conducted between Sept. 8 and 11, surveying 811 Iowa residents 18-years of age and older and has a sampling error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
Idaho murder suspect changes more than just the venue in his defense strategy
Bryan Kohberger, the 29-year-old criminologist accused of a quadruple home invasion murder, will soon get a change of scenery after more than 18 months behind bars in the Latah County Jail in Moscow, Idaho.
In a one-page order signed by Idaho’s Chief Justice Richard Bevan, the state’s high court chose Ada County for Kohberger’s trial, assigned District Judge Steven Hippler to the case and ordered Kohberger’s transfer to a jail closer to the Boise courthouse.
Ada County has a larger courthouse to accommodate more members of the public and what is expected to be a large gallery of reporters for Kohberger’s trial, which was scheduled to begin next year. And Hippler is no stranger to high-profile murder cases.
“Judge Hippler appears to be an experienced trial judge who handles serious cases,” said David Gelman, a New Jersey-based defense attorney who has been following the saga. “This case, of course, will be an entirely different animal given the national interest it has generated.”
BRYAN KOHBERGER GETS NEW JUDGE IN CHANGE OF VENUE FOR STUDENT STABBINGS TRIAL
Last month, he oversaw the trial of a brutal prison beating that was so severe the victim died from his injuries while in the hospital. In March, Hippler handed down a life sentence to a drunken driver who intentionally struck two pedestrians, one fatally, noting at sentencing that “[the defendant] has shown that the community is not safe with him in it at this time – and for a long time.”
Last year, Hippler oversaw the conclusion of the murder case against David Randall, who tortured and beat his ex-girlfriend before stabbing her to death when she stopped by to pick up some belongings.
The killer initially pleaded guilty in a plea deal to avoid the death penalty, but then he tried to take it back. Hippler rejected his arguments and ultimately sentenced him to life in prison with a change for parole after 25 years.
The victim in that case, Darla Fletcher, was stabbed more than 50 times with a screwdriver and a drumstick, the Idaho Statesman reported at the time.
And back in 2022, Hippler sentenced both parents of 9-year-old Emrik Osuna to life without parole for killing their son. He was tortured, beaten and starved to death, and police were able to recover evidence from a “nanny cam” running in their apartment. He also imposed a 100-year no-contact order barring the parents from speaking with their other children.
While Hippler has often agreed to prosecutors’ sentencing requests, he hasn’t imposed a death penalty. Records show he took the bench in 2013, and Idaho’s last execution was carried out a year earlier.
Prosecutors in Kohberger’s case have already said they plan to seek the death penalty if he is convicted. The defense is trying to have it taken off the table.
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Ada County is Idaho’s most populous and includes the city of Boise, which is both the county seat and state capital. There are nearly 500,000 residents, compared to less than 40,000 in Latah County.
Latah County District Judge John Judge agreed to the defense’s request for a change of venue last week. In his order, he wrote that the state’s Supreme Court would make a final determination about where the trial would be moved.
Some Boise legal experts had anticipated Hippler’s selection, according to Edwina Elcox, a defense attorney based in the city who once represented “cult mom” killer Lori Vallow, whose trial also took place in Ada County after a change of venue.
She said she expects the trial to be held as scheduled in June 2025, but the judge will likely make his presence known right away.
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“I think they will want to get things moving and established,” she told Fox News Digital. “Judge Hippler will want his own timelines and deadlines set and strictly adhered to.”
Prosecutors sought to have the trial held at the courthouse in Moscow, next to the jail where the 29-year-old Kohberger had been held without bail since shortly after his arrest in Pennsylvania at his parents’ house, roughly seven weeks after the Nov. 13, 2022, slayings. He was transferred to Ada County over the weekend.
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The defense complained the local community and media coverage were too biased for him to get a fair trial in Latah County, claiming he could face a lynch mob if acquitted. Ada County was on a list of three larger counties the defense said it would “gladly agree to” for a change of venue.
Kohberger is accused of entering a six-bedroom rental home at 4 a.m. Nov. 13, 2022, and killing four students inside with a large knife.
They were Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20 and Ethan Chapin, also 20.
All four were attending the University of Idaho, and the house, which has since been torn down, was just steps off campus.
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Kohberger was studying for a Ph.D. in criminology at neighboring Washington State University, about 10 miles away across the state line.
Judge entered not guilty pleas on Kohberger’s behalf at his arraignment in May 2023. Kohberger faces four charges of first-degree murder and another of felony burglary.
Football fan gets roasted by ESPN broadcaster on live TV — and he has no idea
Florida Gators fans were not having a good time on Saturday as they watched their football team drop to 1-2 on the season with a 13-point loss at home against Texas A&M.
ESPN broadcaster Jesse Palmer, who also was a quarterback at Florida, added insult to injury when he roasted a fan who was surrounded by several young women in the stands.
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“He’s got a mustache, you can’t see it now but he’s whipping his hand with his shirt,” the former college football player said. “I’m gonna make a bold prediction. I’m gonna say that guy’s in the friend zone.”
Joe Tessitore, who was doing the play-by-play for the game, praised Palmer for his “analysis.”
“I see it up close and personal in my other job,” Palmer added. “… I’m gonna say he’s a good listener.”
Texas A&M opened up a 20-point lead on Florida in the first half. Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed had a touchdown pass to Theo Melin Ohrstrom and then ran for one with 44 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
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Florida did not get on the board until Graham Mertz found Elijah Badger for a 14-yard touchdown pass with 11:49 to go in the third quarter. However, Reed struck again with his second touchdown pass of the game to Cyrus Allen. Bryce Anderson then returned a Mertz pass 45 yards for a touchdown.
The Aggies won the game 33-20.
“I have no excuse,” Napier said when asked about him getting booed when as public service announcement played at the stadium. “I have no negative comment about that. Ultimately, we play a certain way in this arena, you’re going to get criticized. This is one of those places where there’s history and tradition and expectations.
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“When you play ugly ball, and it doesn’t quite look like we all want it to, then, hey, it comes with the territory. I probably would have done the same thing.”
Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes’ stadium seating sparks rift rumors over politics
Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes sat apart from each other while they watched their significant others defeat the Cincinnati Bengals, 26-25.
Swift cheered on Travis Kelce and Mahomes gave husband Patrick support as the team picked up the narrow win. Harrison Butker nailed a 51-yard field goal to give Kansas City the win.
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Swift was shown multiple times in the booth celebrating the Chiefs’ progress throughout the game. Mahomes posted several photos on her Instagram Stories showing herself with both of her children. She was seen in a booth watching the game and seen in photos of her children with earmuffs on as the pregame festivities began.
Mahomes wrote in one post on her Instagram Stories that her daughter, Sterling, was not “a fan of hot games.” Her suite may have been a little bit quieter.
Even as Swift and Mahomes appeared to hug it out at the U.S. Open last weekend, the two not sitting together at the Chiefs game sparked concerns about their friendship. They were spotted together several times during the 2023 season, but through two games, they were in different suites.
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Swift posted her endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for president earlier in the week. It came as Mahomes appeared to be in support of former President Donald Trump.
Patrick Mahomes praised his wife earlier in the week amid the whirlwind of drama concerning her social media activity.
“I think you see Brittany does a lot in the community,” he said. “I do a lot in the community to help bring people up and give people an opportunity to use their voice,” He said. “In political times, people are going to use stuff here and there, but I can’t let that affect how I go about my business every single day of my life and trying to live it to the best of my ability.”
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“At the end of the day, it’s about me and my family and how we treat other people.”
America’s latest ‘nightmare’ NFL stadium food is leaving fans divided
One of the newest food items greeting fans of the Arizona Cardinals this season at State Farm Stadium is sure to give dentists a headache: a cotton candy burrito.
Craft Culinary Creations executive chef Sean Kavanaugh told Fox News Digital the creation was inspired by a similar item he spotted in Las Vegas.
“I wish I could say I invented it, but I saw it in an ice cream shop in Las Vegas,” he said in a telephone interview.
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The sugar-drenched item is a mixture of cotton candy, ice cream, candy and cereal, according to a release from the Arizona Cardinals, who said it and the other new items are “catered to the modern fan.” (See the video at the top of this article.)
The Cardinals describe the offering as “cotton candy-flavored ice cream topped with Fruity Pebbles, Froot Loops, marshmallows, Skittles, mini M&M’s, gummy bears and sprinkles all wrapped in a melt-in-your-mouth cotton candy shell.”
“We just roll it up with the candies and the cereals and then the ice cream,” Kavanaugh said.
Video shared with Fox News Digital shows an employee essentially hollowing out a piece of cotton candy so it can be filled with additional cotton candy, ice cream, cereals and candies.
The cotton candy and fillings are then rolled into a burrito shape.
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News that the Arizona Cardinals would be selling a burrito with cotton candy in place of a tortilla and ice cream in place of rice went viral online shortly after the team’s media day — which led to a change of plans in terms of where the item was going to be sold.
Initially, the cotton candy burrito was going to be exclusive to the club level of State Farm Stadium, Kavanaugh said.
That changed after the item went viral online.
“We’re doing a portable [food stand] on our main concourse and our upper concourse is now serving it as well,” he said. “So it’s available in all levels.”
The sugary snack retails for $15.
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So far, after the NFL preseason, reaction to the cotton candy burrito has been good, Kavanaugh said.
“Everyone [who has] ordered one has been excited about it and loved it,” Kavanaugh said.
“My teeth itch just looking at it.”
He said there has been a mix of reactions online, something he thought was “funny and just so weird.”
On Reddit, an image of the burrito was widely shared across the website, including on both food and sports-related pages – prompting a variety of humorous responses.
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“My teeth itch just looking at it,” Reddit user “BigDanDizzle” wrote.
“Seven-year-old me would be in heaven at the sight of this. Current me would be going to heaven if he tried this,” user “ZappaOMatic” said.
“This looks like a nightmare, but I’m ashamed to say I’d definitely try it,” user “mrb4” admitted.
It is possible to eat the cotton candy burrito like a standard burrito made with a tortilla, Kavanaugh told Fox News Digital, but that “depends on how messy you want to get.”
The item is “definitely shareable,” Kavanaugh noted, as “it’s pretty big by the time we get them rolling it.”
But most of all, Kavanaugh stressed the cotton candy burrito is “fun,” from its concept and creation to the viral reaction to it.
“It’s just a lot of fun. And it’s a fun item. And that’s why we’re doing it,” he said. “I don’t know how [else] to describe it.”
The Cardinals play the Los Angeles Rams in their home opener on Sunday, Sept. 15.
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The team lost to the Buffalo Bills 34-28 in last weekend’s season opener.