The son of the man accused of trying to take a shot at former President Donald Trump during a Sunday golf outing in Florida had some choice words, though not exactly what you might expect. According to a report from the *Daily Mail*, Oran Routh claims his dad, Ryan Routh, isn’t violent—despite being caught near Trump’s golf course with an AK-47. Apparently, though, hating Trump is something the elder Routh has in common with “every reasonable person,” at least according to his son.
Oran didn’t mince words about his feelings on Trump either, casually throwing in, “I don’t like Trump either.” You know, because that makes everything a bit clearer. Still, the younger Routh insisted his dad isn’t some violent nutjob. He was reportedly “shocked” by the allegations and couldn’t believe his father would be involved in such a thing. “He’s my dad and all he’s had is a couple traffic tickets, as far as I know,” Oran said, clearly baffled. “That’s crazy. I know my dad and love my dad, but that’s nothing like him.”
Continuing to defend his father, Oran painted a picture of a hardworking, non-violent man who’d never hurt a fly. “He’s not a violent person,” Oran reiterated. “He’s a hard worker and a great dad. He’s a great dude, a nice guy, and has worked his whole f–king life.” But apparently, that didn’t stop his dad from allegedly getting cozy with an AK-47 a few hundred yards from Trump at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. Authorities say a Secret Service agent spotted the gunman through a chain-link fence, rifle barrel in hand, and opened fire. Ryan Routh fled but was apprehended soon after.
Oran admitted he had no idea his dad was even in Florida. He assumed the elder Routh was in Hawaii after a recent conversation where his father mentioned being at “the beach.” “I thought that meant the outer banks in Hawaii,” Oran said. He didn’t dig any deeper since, according to him, the two have “grown apart” after some sort of falling out. He didn’t offer much more on what caused the distance between them, but clearly, something wasn’t quite right in their relationship.
After abruptly ending the conversation, Oran later sent a lengthy text to the *Daily Mail*, where he shifted the focus to the frustrations many Americans feel with the political system. “I hate this game every four years, and think that we all do,” he wrote. “If my father wants to be a martyr to how broken and disassociated the process has become from the real problems and practical solutions, then that’s his choice.” He wasn’t exactly saying that’s what his dad intended, but it was clear Oran had his own grievances to air. In a moment of cultural reference, he quoted *South Park*, summing up his feelings with, “Every four years we’re forced to choose between a turd sandwich and a giant douche, and it all stays f–ked in the same ways by different degrees.”
So, while Oran claims his dad isn’t violent, he’s just as fed up with politics as a lot of people seem to be these days. Whether Ryan Routh really intended to be some kind of martyr or just made some poor choices remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the Routh family won’t be seeing eye to eye on much anytime soon.
Would-be Assassin “Hates President Trump”
