Records show that while living in North Carolina, Routh had multiple run-ins with law enforcement and was convicted in 2002 of possessing a weapon of mass destruction.
Law enforcement officials say the man suspected of shooting at Donald Trump and who was arrested in Martin County is Ryan Wesley Routh.
Records show that Routh, 58, lived in North Carolina for most of his life before moving in 2018 to Kaaawa, Hawaii, where he and his son operated a company building sheds, according to an archived version of the webpage for the business.
Routh frequently posted on social media about the war in Ukraine and had a website where he sought to raise money and recruit volunteers to go to Kyiv to join the fight against the Russian invasion.
In June 2020, he made a post on X directed at then-President Trump to say he would win re-election if he issued an executive order for the Justice Department to prosecute police misconduct.
That year, he also posted in support of the Democratic presidential campaign of then-US Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who has since left the party and endorsed Trump.
However, in recent years, his posts suggest he soured on Trump, and expressed support for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
In July, following the assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania, Routh urged Biden and Harris to visit those wounded in the shooting at the hospital and to attend the funeral of a former fire chief killed at the rally.
Voter records show he registered as an unaffiliated voter in North Carolina in 2012, most recently voting in person during the state’s Democratic Party primary in March 2024.
Federal campaign finance records show Routh made 19 small political donations totalling $140 (€126) since 2019 using his Hawaii address to ActBlue, a political action committee that supports Democratic candidates.
Records show that while living in Greensboro, North Carolina, Routh had multiple run-ins with law enforcement. He was convicted in 2002 of possessing a weapon of mass destruction, according to online North Carolina Department of Adult Correction records.
