Journalist recalls meeting with man accused of alleged assassination attempt on Trump

Newsweek Romania war reporter Remus Cernea interviewed Ryan Wesley Routh in 2022 – two years before he was arrested in connection with an alleged assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

“I thought he was an idealistic person,” Cernea said.

The two met in Kyiv while Cernea was covering the war in Ukraine. Cernea said Routh told him he had tried to fight alongside Ukrainians but was rejected by the International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine because he had no military experience.

Since Routh cannot fight, he is trying to find other ways to bring fighters into the country, Cernea said.

RELATED STORY | Secret Service: Suspect in alleged Trump assassination attempt did not fire weapon

“He even asked me to provide transit visas for some fighters from Asian countries to enter Ukraine,” Cernea said.

The journalist said he distanced himself from Routh at the time. However, Cernea said he saw Routh again in 2023. He recalled that Routh was in “very bad shape.”

“I thought he had a lot of financial problems, but not only that. It was summer and he seemed to not shower for, let's say, many days,” Cernea said. “And that worried me, and from that moment on I tried to keep my distance from him.”

Despite his personal concerns, Cernea said he was surprised to learn that Routh was arrested in connection with the alleged assassination attempt on Trump.

RELATED STORY | Trump: Police responded “absolutely excellently” to the shooter

“I thought he was a gentle person, more of a hippie type,” Cernea said. “And I didn't know he used guns.”

Routh is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. If convicted, Routh faces up to 15 years in prison for the first count and five years for the second.

Watch the video above to see Cernea’s full interview.