Ryan Routh’s posts on X showed a pattern of emotional reactions, political shifts, and unusual suggestions directed at public figures. He often responded to current events with strong opinions or unexpected ideas, jumping between different political sides and causes. His online behavior reflected a lack of consistency and a tendency to insert himself into national and international issues. These posts help explain how he presented himself publicly in the time leading up to his arrest.
Ryan Routh’s Social Media Reveals Political Shift Before Trump Assassination Attempt
Ryan Wesley Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump, had a history of politically charged posts that show how his views shifted over the years.
Back in 2016, Routh said he voted for Trump. But by 2020, he was openly critical of the former president. In one post, he wrote: “While you were my choice in 2016, I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better… but we all were greatly disappointed… I will be glad when you [are] gone.”
Over time, his support appeared to shift toward Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. In April, he suggested renaming Biden’s campaign to “Keep America Democratic and Free,” while accusing Trump of trying to “make Americans slaves again.”
Routh also frequently posted about the war in Ukraine. In 2022, he said he was ready to fly to the border to fight. “I am willing to go and fight and DIE to beat Putin,” he wrote. According to reports, he even traveled to Ukraine that year to help recruit ex-Afghan soldiers who had fled the Taliban.
His background includes a criminal record. In 2002, he was convicted in North Carolina for possessing a fully automatic machine gun, which authorities classified as a weapon of mass destruction. That case involved a police standoff after he fled a traffic stop.
Routh was taken into custody near Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Authorities say he had an AK-47-style rifle, ceramic plates in backpacks, and a GoPro camera. He was reportedly just 300 to 500 yards from Trump when Secret Service agents spotted the weapon and opened fire.
The FBI is treating the case as an attempted assassination. It’s the second such incident involving Trump in just two months. The motive is still unknown.
1. Begging Nikki Haley and Vivek to Team Up
📅 January 8, 2024
“@NikkiHaley Please join Vivek Ramaswamy as a team of pres and vp; we must do this now to create a winning ticket now that we all can get behind. Please do not be selfish and arrogant; partner now to change the course of this election. Break norms and give us an option.”
Routh bizarrely tried to pressure two former rivals into forming an emergency political alliance — as if he were managing the campaign himself.
2. Open Invitation to Kim Jong Un
📅 July 31, 2020
“As a common American in Hawaii I would like to extend an invitation to Kim Jung Un to come and vacation in our state and maybe also vacation on the mainland. We can coordinate first class lodging and introduce Kim to the American people and build a friendly bond.”
In what reads like bad satire, Routh invited a North Korean dictator for a beach holiday in Hawaii, complete with five-star treatment.
3. Turning on Trump
📅 June 11, 2020
“@realDonaldTrump While you were my choice in 2106, I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment and it seems you are getting worse and devolving; are you ****** I will be glad when you gone”
A typo-filled tweet that aimed to denounce Trump, but ended up sounding both angry and incoherent, and included a censored insult.
4. Switching to Bernie (With Violence?)
📅 March 4, 2020
“I was not supporting Bernie, but now I am; as sleepy Joe stands for nothing; no plans, no ideas, just as limp as hillary. Bernie…….give them hell…..fight to the death……”
A hard pivot to Bernie Sanders — and an over-the-top call to arms that reads like political fan fiction.
5. Calling on Kamala Harris to Attend Trump Supporter’s Funeral
📅 July 17, 2024
“@KamalaHarris You and Biden should visit the injured people in the hospital from the Trump rally and attend the funeral of the murdered fireman. Trump will never do anything for them….show the world what compassion and humanity is all about. 8084648342”
Routh oddly calls for compassion from political rivals while inserting his personal phone number for no apparent reason.
6. Rocket Request to Elon Musk
📅 April 22, 2024
“@elonmusk I would like to buy a rocket from you. I wish to load it with a warhead for Putins Black sea mansion bunker to end him. Can you give me a price please. It can be old and used as not returning. 8084648342 [email protected]”
He asked Elon Musk for a rocket to target Putin, casually dropping his email and number like he’s ordering from Amazon.
7. Support for Biden — With Custom Campaign Slogans
📅 April 22, 2024
“@POTUS Your campaign should be called something like KADAF. Keep America democratic and free. Trumps should be MASA …make Americans slaves again master. DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose. We cannot afford to fail. The world is counting on us to show the way.”
A chaotic acronym battle in tweet form, with slogans that feel like rejected political satire.
8. Ready to Die in Ukraine
📅 March 15, 2022
“I AM WILLING TO FLY TO KRAKOW AND GO TO THE BORDER OF UKRAINE TO VOLUNTEER AND FIGHT AND DIE—Will I be able to cross to border to fight without a Visa????Every citizen around the globe should be running to Ukraine to fight; Can I be the example We must win”
A dramatic all-caps post declaring he’s ready to die fighting Russia — but first, he wants to know if he needs a visa.
9. Support for Tulsi Gabbard: Peace Through Diplomacy
📅 March 10, 2020
“#Tulsi2020 #LetTulsiDebate #StandWithTulsi –Tulsi understands the horrors of war realizing as the world leader we cannot allow children to be murdered and families ripped apart over ideology; she will tirelessly negotiate peace deals in Syria, Afghanistan and all turmoil zones.”
Routh framed Tulsi Gabbard as a global peace negotiator, portraying her as the only candidate capable of ending international conflicts.
10. Backing Tulsi on International Women’s Day
📅 March 8, 2020
“#InternationalWomensDay –We all need to join together to support Tulsi for president because we must have a leader that will fight for World Peace and end all of the turmoil and struggles around the globe to make opportunity for kids everywhere freeing our military funds for home”
He called on voters to support Tulsi as a leader for peace and redirected military spending as a way to improve children’s lives globally.
11. Offering Campaign Help (and Air Travel)
📅 March 8, 2020
“#TulsiMediaBlackout –We cannot allow either of these old men try to beat Trump–not happening, Tulsi, we must really ramp up our efforts now; this just got extremely more important. I want to help your staff create unlimited powerful speeches to win this thing. I fly anywhere–”
Routh pledged personal help to Tulsi’s campaign, even offering to fly out and write speeches himself, treating the campaign like a last stand.
12. Let Tulsi Speak — And Let’s Work
📅 March 8, 2020
“#LetTulsiSpeak –Forget debates; let’s push this campaign forward on the ground; the time is now; time for fresh new powerful videos to fill the internet. I have emailed several speeches to info@tulsi and we can make 100 more, we need to get the message out NOW–let’s work–Kaaawa”
Routh imagined himself as a grassroots digital strategist, claiming he sent speeches to Tulsi’s campaign and calling for internet-wide mobilization.
13. Same Request, Now Aimed at Biden
📅 July 16, 2024
“@JoeBiden You should visit the victims in the hospital of the trump rally victims and attend the funeral of the fireman that died; Trump certainly never would. SHOW THE WORLD WHAT REAL LEADERS DO.”
In a nearly identical message, Routh shifted his focus to President Biden, urging him to lead by example following a violent incident.
14. Send Everything. Put Everyone on Leave
📅 February 25, 2022
“#Biden Please send every weapon we have to Ukraine. PLEASE PUT ALL OUR MILITARY PERSONEL ON PAID LEAVE SO THEY CAN GO AND FIGHT FOR UKRAINE as civilians if they wish. WE cannot sit around and do nothing; we cannot lose this war. WE MUST PUT AN END TO PUTIN–I will go and fight.”
Routh proposed sending all U.S. weapons and essentially converting the military into unpaid volunteers to fight Russia—offering himself up first.
15. Requesting Missiles and Training (As a Civilian)
📅 March 29, 2022
“@brianschatz I need your help—I am flying to Ukraine on Sunday to fight but it is obvious that they need our Patriot Missile defense systems; certainly we have some of those here that we can loan to Ukraine and I can learn as a civilian how to operate. Help me change this war.”
Routh reached out to a U.S. senator asking for missile systems and proposing to operate them himself—despite being a civilian with no clear military training.
16. Announcing His Trip to Fight for Democracy
📅 February 12, 2022
“@JimmyKimmelLive I AM FLIGHING TO UNKRAINE TO FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY. Please world peace is the most important issue for us and we must encourage the entire world to support Ukraine and democracy and aggression is not allowed. We are civilized and must unite as citizens.”
In a typo-ridden message tagged to a late-night talk show host, Routh declared his mission to fight in Ukraine, framing it as a global battle for peace and democracy.
17. Trying to Buy Fighter Jets for Ukraine
📅 March 16, 2022
“@mblaszczak I would like to offer, as an American businessman, to purchase the planes that you have for Ukraine to relieve you of any responsibility and wrath from Russia and Putin. I will gladly fly over and make any media meeting to ensure that the purchase is obvious.”
Routh offered to personally buy military aircraft for Ukraine and suggested a press tour to make the deal public.
18. Ending Sanctions Through Friendship
📅 January 6, 2021
“@USAAmbROK Please, as brilliant Americans you and I can end hostilities with North Korea, it is as simple as just becoming friends; forget negotiations, let us just talk, hang out, learn about each other and find we are both merely humans wishing to thrive. We can fix this.”
Routh proposed casual hangouts as the key to resolving decades of U.S.–North Korea conflict.
19. Video Interviews to End Sanctions
📅 January 4, 2021
“@kangkyungwha I assume you are not the north Korean foreign minister–if so we can easily end sanctions by simply having Kim Jong Un have numerous video interviews with all American media outlets to show that we are all human and the American people will end sanctions–808-379-9411”
Routh theorized that media appearances by Kim Jong Un would be enough to end sanctions—then casually dropped his phone number.
20. Inviting Kim Jong Un to Hawaii
📅 May 25, 2020
“#KimJungUn I would like to invite you to Hawaii for vacation. We would love to have you here and entertain you. With the current virus it is vacant and private and it would be an honor to have you at our beaches. I am a leader here and can arrange the whole trip. Please come.”
In another surreal outreach, Routh invited the North Korean dictator to Hawaii for a COVID-era beach getaway.
21. Sending Afghan Soldiers to Taiwan
📅 June 13, 2023
“@Project2049 I arrive today in Taiwan and lady gave your info. I came to offer 50,000 Afghan soldiers to taiwan and they are economical and refugees. I need help pushing Taiwan and Tsai Ing-wen to take them. +18084648342 [email protected]”
Routh claimed to be on the ground in Taiwan trying to arrange a military-like refugee transfer—with his email and number attached.
22. Predicting Covid Could Eliminate the Competition
📅 March 11, 2020
“@TulsiGabbard #StandWithTulsi #TulsiForPresident Kimmel may have a valid point; what if Covid19 does eliminate Joe Biden, Bernie and Trump and even Pence…..Tulsi, we need to ramp up our efforts and grow support so when the field narrows to none, you can win. Let me help.”
Routh floated a grim and bizarre scenario in which COVID-19 clears the political playing field, making way for Tulsi Gabbard.
23. Begging Hillary to Team Up With Biden
📅 May 31, 2020
“@HillaryClinton Why are you not running with Joe Biden——come on, you are not my favorite, but we all must do our part to get rid of this idiot that is in the white house…….PLEASE……do the world a favor.”
In a desperate-sounding plea, Routh urged Clinton to join Biden’s ticket—while making it clear he’s not exactly a fan.
24. Calling on Trump to Tackle Police Misconduct
📅 June 1, 2020
“@realDonaldTrump Win reelection by seizing this moment to make real change and by executive order establish an oversight dept in the DOJ to review and prosecute all police misconduct. States and local biased people cannot be left to regulate themselves; step up and fix this.”
Routh urged Trump to win votes by cracking down on police abuse, calling for federal oversight over local law enforcement.
25. Telling Vivek Ramaswamy to Never Quit
📅 January 18, 2024
“@VivekGRamaswamy You cannot quit. Why. You must stay on the ballot to the end. You must fight. You must continue giving speeches and push all the way to election day no matter the election results. Do not give in. Join Nikki and keep working. Never give up.”
In an overly dramatic pep talk, Routh urged Vivek Ramaswamy to stay in the race, rally with Nikki Haley, and ignore all election outcomes.
26. Calling on Seth Rogen and James Franco to Meet Kim Jong Un
📅 May 2, 2024
“@Sethrogen You and James Franco must use your status to meet with Kim Jong un and show him we are friends and we want the best for him and his people. Dennis Rodman did it. We can. 18084648342 [email protected] please talk to me. Let us change history.”
Routh bizarrely asked Hollywood actors to broker peace with North Korea—citing Dennis Rodman as proof and sharing his own contact info for follow-up.
Conclusion
Ryan Routh’s online activity showed a pattern of erratic political shifts, unrealistic proposals, and unsolicited advice aimed at politicians and celebrities. His posts reflected a desire to insert himself into major global issues without clear understanding or consistency. Taken together, these tweets offer a clearer picture of his mindset and how he chose to express his views in public before his arrest.
