It’s incredible that we’re even discussing a second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, but here we are.

This time, the would-be assassin, Ryan Wesley Routh, camped out near the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach for nearly 12 hours before being discovered by the Secret Service. Let that sink in—12 hours. He arrived in the dead of night, at 1:59 a.m., and wasn’t spotted until 1:31 p.m. That’s an entire half-day of waiting with a rifle, ready to strike. How did security allow someone to get that close to a former president for that long?

According to the affidavit, what agents found at the scene was chilling: a loaded SKS-style rifle with a scope, food supplies, and a digital camera. This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment act—Routh came prepared for the long haul, waiting for the right moment.

And while the media has bent over backward to paint Routh as some kind of enigma, the facts are clear: he was no Trump supporter, and his actions were deliberate. His rifle, a Chinese knock-off of a Soviet SKS, wasn’t exactly built for precision, but that doesn’t make this any less serious. The obliterated serial number and poor rifle choice point to someone who may not have been the most competent, but who was nonetheless dangerous and determined.

New info: Trump assassination attempt suspect Ryan Routh was in the vicinity of the golf course’s tree line for nearly 12 hours before being spotted pic.twitter.com/lEBa2P793K

— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) September 16, 2024

What this all highlights is a glaring vulnerability in Trump’s security. This isn’t the first time a threat has gotten too close to Trump. In Butler, Pennsylvania, another near-miss incident unfolded under similar circumstances. If not for sheer luck—this time because a Secret Service agent spotted the rifle barrel poking through the fence—Trump could have been another victim of politically motivated violence.

We’re not talking about just some “mope with a cheap rifle”; we’re talking about someone who had enough intent and planning to camp out for half a day with a loaded weapon, waiting for a shot.

And the kicker? The idea that Trump’s schedule might have been leaked or compromised was torpedoed by one simple fact: this wasn’t insider intel, but common knowledge. In Florida, everyone knows Trump golfs on Sundays.

Routh didn’t need a sophisticated network to figure out Trump’s movements; he just needed to show up and wait. This makes it all the more infuriating that security lapses allowed him to get so close.

What does it say about the state of security when a gunman with a sub-par rifle can penetrate Trump’s perimeter twice within a short span of time? For all the resources available to protect a former president, these incidents paint a picture of alarming negligence. Had Routh been a bit more competent or chosen a better weapon, we might be having a very different, much darker conversation today.