What book did would-be Donald Trump assassin Ryan Wesley Routh self-publish, and did he really mention Trump in it?

Ryan Wesley Routh, the man accused of the second Donald Trump assassination attempt in two months, is a self-published author, and reportedly, Routh mentioned Trump in his book.

Secret Service spotted Routh’s gun at a golf course on Sunday near where Trump was playing and opened fire. Routh, 58, fled the scene and was later taken into custody. The next day, Routh, who has a long criminal history, faced two gun-related charges as the FBI called what happened a foiled assassination attempt on the former president. Trump was uninjured, and was evacuated from the area, Politico reported. Routh never fired a shot, according to Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg.

Amid the investigation, authorities learned that Routh, originally from North Carolina, once ran a business building homeless shelters in Hawaii. According to Routh’s social media, he was once a vocal Trump supporter. Since 2016, however, Routh had seemingly turned on the president and focused his support on Democratic politicians, although in the 2024 North Carolina general election, Routh was an unaffiliated voter.

Routh especially criticized Trump’s decision to exit the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, which the Obama administration entered into in 2015 to constrain Iran’s nuclear capabilities. In 2022, Routh also visited Ukraine, and Ukraine’s ongoing war against Russia seemed a point of emphasis for him.

Back in the States, Routh worked to support the Ukrainian war effort. Based on his experience in the country, the year after he visited, in 2023, Routh self-published a book, Ukraine’s Unwinnable War, which, at this writing, was still available on Amazon.

Routh “made a terrible mistake,” he wrote

In his book, Ryan Routh reportedly criticized many politicians from both parties but focused his ire on Trump. One passage, in particular, stands out in light of Routh’s recent alleged Trump assassination attempt. “I am man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake, and Iran, I apologize,” Routh wrote in the book about how he voted for Trump in 2016, only to have Trump exit the Iran Nuclear deal.

Routh added, “You are free to assassinate Trump as well as me for that error in judgment and the dismantling of the deal,” directed toward Iran. Trump’s decision to exit the deal drove Tehran closer to Moscow, according to Routh’s book. Routh also called Trump a “fool” and a“buffoon” for the Jan. 6 insurrection at the capital, The Washington Post reported.

Routh’s X account has been suspended. According to several reports, he mentioned Trump numerous times on social media, and at least once, he expressed support for Trump’s Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump’s former competition in the 2024 GOP primaries.

“While you were my choice,” Routh reportedly once wrote on X, referring to the 2016 elections, “I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment [sic] and it seems you are getting worse and devolving … I will be glad when you gone,” his update said.

After the July Trump assassination attempt, Routh also encouraged President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to visit the victims and their families because “Trump will never do anything,” according to CNN.

Routh reportedly had an AK-47

According to federal authorities, Routh allegedly had an AK-47 style with him at the golf course. Routh’s previous charges include weapons possession, and possessing a weapon of destruction when a fully-automatic rifle was found in his possession after he barricaded himself inside his business after a traffic stop in North Carolina. Routh has also been convicted in the past of possessing stolen goods. It’s unclear how Routh obtained the AK-47 he allegedly tried to use in the Trump assassination attempt. Although Routh never fired a shot, he could still be charged with Trump’s attempted assassination.