A man from Hawaii who is suspected of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump on Sunday is a longtime supporter of the Democratic party, donating exclusively to its candidates 19 times since 2019, according to records. Between September 2019 and March 2020, Ryan Routh contributed more than $140 through the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, as Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings show.
The FEC filings indicate that Routh lived in Kaaawa, Hawaii at the time of the donations, and the records describe him as “not employed.” While the money went to ActBlue, it was designated for individual 2020 Democratic presidential primary candidates, including former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), Andrew Yang, Tom Steyer of New York, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.
Additionally, Routh made several donations to Hawaii’s then-Democratic representative Tulsi Gabbard, who has since switched parties and now supports Trump. These contributions ranged from $1 to $25 and occurred only during the six-month period of the 2020 election’s primary season. None were earmarked for President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris.
Routh, 58 years old, claimed in other social media posts that he supported Donald Trump during his first presidential campaign in 2016 but later became disillusioned after his chosen candidate won office. In a tweet from June 11, 2020, Routh wrote, “While you were my choice in 2016, I and the world hoped that President Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointed and it seems you are getting worse and devolving; are you retarded; I will be glad when you gone.
Other posts on his now-suspended X account show that Routh backed Gabbard during the 2020 Democratic primary over Biden or Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt. During the 2024 Republican primary, Routh posted in support of biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
