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The Madness of Ryan Routh

A close reading of the wannabe Trump assassin’s self-published memoir, documenting his time in Ukraine, reveals a mentally ill man grappling with the existential comedown from his delusions of grandeur.

ryan routh trump
Routh had told people he was willing to fight and die for Ukraine; that he traveled to the country and, while he failed to register for service, he apparently tried to recruit Afghans to join the cause. Photo: AFPTV/AFP/Getty Images
Julia Ioffe
September 18, 2024

On Sunday afternoon, yet another maniac with a gun targeted Donald Trump, this time from the bushes of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. The news—a second assassination attempt in as many months—triggered all the predictable reactions: relief on the left that the man, Ryan Routh, lacked any clear or consistent political ideology; accusations from the right that Democrats’ anti-Trump rhetoric had inspired the would-be shooter; and endless condemnations and think-pieces about the return of political violence in America.