From Trump voter to potential Trump assassin, Ryan Routh is the second person to attempt to end the presidential candidate’s life in just two months.
And like Thomas Cook, who tried to take Trump’s life less than two months ago, Routh’s political views are similarly confusing and ambiguous.
Routh, 58, voted for Trump in 2016 and became a fervent never-Trumper after the 2020 loss. He had a Biden-Harris sticker on his van but criticized Biden online.
Routh traveled to Ukraine to become a freedom fighter and dyed his hair the color of the Ukrainian flag. Yet he was a fan of Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who fiercely opposed helping Ukrainians in their war against Russia.
Dr Raj Persaud, a renowned UK psychologist, said his conflicting political views indicated Routh was a deranged individual driven by delusions of grandeur, rather than an ideologue genuinely trying to save democracy.
Potential Trump assassin Ryan Wesley Routh likely suffered from a psychiatric or personality disorder, psychologists say — though it’s not clear if he was ever diagnosed with such a disorder
Routh is pictured above during his arrest. He fled the scene after the Secret Service spotted him and fired shots in his direction
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According to Dr. Persaud, Routh appeared to have a delusion of grandeur, or an unrealistic sense of superiority, uniqueness or invulnerability.
Their mental health issues and their sense of grandeur still make it difficult for them to function in society, unable to hold down a job or a relationship.
Over time, this leads to tensions, causing them to blame their shortcomings on those around them rather than themselves.
It is this resentment that drives them to attack a symbol of society, such as a presidential candidate, either out of revenge or to prove that they are ‘really special’ and ‘underestimated’ by everyone.
According to Dr. Persaud, Trump is a target because the former president is so visible.
Dr Persaud said: ‘I think Trump is an easier target… because Trump is a bigger irritant to these unsuitable men and he seems to have everything they want.
‘(Trump) is a so-called billionaire with a supermodel wife, but he also has his own TV show and flies around in a private jet.
“He’s living their dream, as far as they’re concerned… he’s living their dream.”
According to Dr. Persaud, these individuals are more likely to be solitary actors than group actors, and it is much harder to protect yourself from such people.
Dr. Jonathan Alpert, a psychotherapist in New York City, pointed to Mr. Routh’s frequent run-ins with the law — including a hit-and-run and a hit-and-run after a machine gun charge dating back to 2002 — as a sign that he might have antisocial personality disorder, a condition in which patients persistently disregard the rights of others.
There are also signs of delusions of grandeur from Routh’s time in Ukraine, where he says he was stationed for five months.
While there, he attempted to join a Foreign Legion and when he was rejected, he set out to recruit fighters himself, leading other fighters to see him as misguided in his importance.
Evelyn Aschenbrenner, an American citizen who served in the legion, told CNN: ‘He seemed to have some kind of delusions of grandeur. I thought, “All you’re doing is giving everyone a headache… the Legion already has a recruitment website, so you don’t need to do this.”‘
Would-be assassin Ryan Routh is pictured above in the main square in Kiev, Ukraine. The square was irradiated around the world at the start of the 2022 war
Another fighter in Ukraine told the New York Post: ‘(Routh was) a deranged idiot, but no one is really surprised.
“People like him come along and desperately want to help and be important, and he was one of them — only on the crazy side.”
There are also signs of delusions of grandeur in his decision to publish his own 291-page book, titled “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War,” which sold online for $2.99.
The economist reports that the text, from 2023, is something between a diary and a political treatise.
Routh even compares himself to George Orwell at one point.
It is not clear whether Mr. Routh has ever been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder or personality disorder.
The truck parked outside Mr. Routh’s house had a bumper sticker that said “Biden/Harris.” Psychologists say it’s likely the attack had little to do with politics
Routh is 58 years old and is now in police custody
Routh’s political views are full of contradictions, including his support for the war in Ukraine and for Vivek Ramaswamy, who opposes aid to the country.
He previously wrote online about how he was a Trump voter but then switched to the Democratic Party. In later online posts, he described a strong dislike for Biden.
Dr Persuad said: ‘People are always looking for political preferences, but research shows time and again that these people are not politically motivated.
“These are not hardcore Republicans or Democrats, these are people who are not driven by politics, but by personality problems and resentment toward society as a whole.”
West Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw holds up an image of Routh’s backpack, purse, GoPro and AK-47-style rifle that he left behind outside Trump International Golf Club on Sunday as he fled the scene as the Secret Service opened fire
The gunman was standing two holes away from where Trump was golfing Sunday when Secret Service shots were fired in his direction. The hole is the area of the course closest to the road and has the most “vulnerabilities,” according to those familiar with the situation.
Psychotherapists also came forward after the attempted assassination of Trump in Pennsylvania in July. Again, they suggested that the act probably had little to do with politics.
According to Dr. Rachel Toles, a licensed clinical psychologist from California, people in these types of situations often have extremely damaged egos and are eager to kill someone who already has what they desire most: success or popularity.
It’s possible, she said, that Trump represented something his attacker, Thomas Matthew Crooks, deeply desired.
Dr Toles told DailyMail.com: ‘We’re talking about someone who feels incredibly invisible, and he’s targeting the most visible man on the planet.
“I think it’s more about that than it is about the political Donald Trump.”
Unlike Routh, the criminals had no criminal records and were barely active online, missing popular social media sites like TikTok and Instagram.
He was reportedly often described as quiet by classmates and school administrators, with some even saying he was often bullied for his body odor and for wearing camouflage hunting gear and surgical masks to school.