Trump's 'last-minute' golf trip sparks shooter speculation

In the flood of news reports following the arrest of a man hiding with a semi-automatic rifle in the bushes at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, informants pounced on a detail they say is evidence the would-be shooter had been tipped off by nefarious forces close to Trump.

CNN reported late Sunday night that two sources told the network that the golf game Trump played on Sunday was a “last-minute addition” to the president's schedule, which had nothing publicly planned for that day.

This led to speculation on the Internet, especially in conservative circles, that there was a “mole” within the Trump campaign or the Secret Service who had informed the alleged suspect Ryan Routh.

“Is President Trump bugged or is there a mole in his entourage or in his security forces,” speculated one poster, linking to a Gateway Pundit article that put forward the theory.

“Donald Trump's golf outing on Sunday to his Trump International Golf Club was a last-minute decision, sources told CNN,” @CultureWar2020 added. “The golf outing was NOT on Trump's public schedule. How did RYAN ROUTH know he would be there? Was there an INSIDE TRUMP team source tipping him off?”

According to the criminal complaint filed against Routh, who is charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a weapon with an obliterated serial number, a Secret Service agent patrolling the perimeter of the course while Trump was playing golf saw a rifle sticking out of the tree line.

The agent fired in the direction of the rifle and Routh ran to his car. After a short chase, Routh was quickly arrested by the Martin County Sheriff's Office.

Some news reports claimed that several officers fired “at least four shots” at the Secret Service agent who spotted Routh, but it was unclear whether Routh fired back. Trump was the target of an “apparent attempted assassination,” according to the FBI.

Agents found Routh's hiding place in the woods. They found a digital camera, two bags, a backpack, a loaded rifle with a scope, and a black plastic bag with food inside.

After Routh's arrest, investigators found a Facebook post from early July in which Routh posted his WhatsApp number. Police then confirmed with T-Mobile, the number's operator, that Routh was the subscriber and obtained phone records showing that Routh's phone was “located near the area described above along the tree line from approximately 1:59 a.m. to approximately 1:31 p.m. on September 15, 2024.”

The fact that Routh stayed there for at least 12 hours did not dissuade the posters from believing that he had received inside information.

“Trump's golf outing was a last-minute decision. How did the bastard know Trump would be golfing at that exact time?” added @libsoftiktok.

Trump plays golf regularly. The Golf News Network reported that he has played over 300 times on his own golf courses or elsewhere during his presidency.

But the idea that the Secret Service could tip someone off plays a role in the allegations against the agency over the past two months.

Conspiracy theories have been circulating for months since the first assassination attempt on Trump

Then the blame for a series of Secret Service mistakes was apparently placed on potentially rogue elements in the government who had deliberately told the agency to stand down and allow the attack to go ahead.

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