Hello and welcome back to US Presidential Election Top 10 – your daily guide to the American election season.
The term " Florida Man " is a popular internet meme based on the notion that the state is home to people prone to irrational or outrageous behaviour. A CNN article on the meme suggested that the large number of bizarre incidents in Florida can be attributed to several factors: public records laws that allow journalists easy access to police reports, the state’s sizeable population, its wildly unpredictable weather, and, frankly, inadequate mental health funding.
Here are a few recent examples:
Florida Man Grabs Pistol After Chicken Wings Take Over an Hour Florida Man Bites Head Off Animal During Domestic Dispute Florida Man Loses Arm to Alligator After Using Pond as a Bathroom Florida Man Shuts Down Roadway for 10 Hours While Throwing Meth and Exposing His Genitals Florida Man Ticketed for Driving “Booty Patrol” Truck Resembling a Border Patrol Vehicle
In fact, there’s even an internet game called the Florida Man Birthday Challenge, where you type your birthday followed by "Florida Man" to discover the wild adventure of a Florida resident on that day. Going forward, 15th September will read: “Florida Man tries to assassinate Donald Trump.”
Of course, some pedants might point out that "Florida Man" doesn’t apply here, as Ryan Routh was most recently in Hawaii and spent much of his life in North Carolina, but you know what they say about Rome...
While assassination attempts on US Presidents (and presidential candidates) are very much part of the nation’s history, a second attempt during a single election cycle is quite rare. This second attempt on Trump took place in his natural habitat – the golf course – where a man named Ryan Routh, armed with an AK-47 rifle, managed to get within 300-500 yards of where Trump was golfing.
The last time Trump was shot at, it became an iconic image, after which Trump, in his usual humble style, boasted: “A lot of people say it’s the most iconic photo they’ve ever seen. They’re right, and I didn’t die. Usually, you have to die to have an iconic picture.”
This time, he joked with his doctor that he was glad he “didn’t need his services today” and told Sean Hannity of Fox News that he was “disappointed not to be able to finish his putt,” noting that he was “even and had a birdie putt.”
Interestingly, Routh has been in the news before. In 2023, he appeared in a New York Times profile about Americans who had travelled to Ukraine after Russia’s 2022 invasion. He claimed to have tried to recruit Afghan soldiers – who had fled the Taliban – to fight against Russia, and his social media profile makes it hard to pinpoint his exact political ideology.
In 2016, he voted for Trump before becoming infuriated with him. By 2020, Routh was quite infatuated with Tulsi Gabbard , and more recently appeared to support a Ramaswamy-Haley Republican ticket. He wrote on X (formerly Twitter) when Ramaswamy dropped out: “You cannot quit. Why? You must stay on the ballot until the end. You must fight. You must keep giving speeches and push all the way to Election Day, no matter the results. Do not give in. Join Nikki and keep working. Never give up.”
The first assassination attempt on Trump prompted the Democratic establishment to pull the plug on Joe Biden’s presidency.
To be fair, we’re in completely uncharted waters here, with a second assassination attempt on a presidential nominee during one election cycle. America’s current broken kulturkampf makes it difficult to predict the outcome, especially as MAGA has fundamentally transformed the Republican Party . What was once a party of fiscal conservatism, respect for institutions, and commitment to free markets has shifted to a personality-driven populist movement centred around Trump. This shift has alienated many traditional Republicans, created deep internal divisions, and left the GOP grappling with an identity crisis. Before the assassination attempt, the Republican Party's major attack was based on the false rumour that Haitians were eating cats in Springfield, Ohio.
Here are the ten big developments for the day:
The Big Picture: How the second attack on Trump could shape the elections Russia Reacts: The Kremlin, jumping on Routh's pro-Ukrainian stance said playing with fire had consequences. Diplomat: Ryan Routh was very vocal about world politics and once invited Kim Jong-un to Hawaii for negotiations. Son Speaks: Routh’s son said his father wasn't capable of violence and hoped the incident had been “blown out of proportion.” Opposition Condemns: Vice President Harris swiftly condemned the assassination attempt, stating: "Violence has no place in America." Loomer Lens: Laura Loomer, who else, already has a conspiracy theory. Like all else Loomer theories, it's a doozy. Ahead of Time? A Time magazine cover has gone viral for supposedly “predicting” the second assassination attempt. Mamma Knows Best? A mother who bought Swift concert tickets for her daughter’s 13th birthday offered to sell them after Swift’s endorsement of Harris. Black and Indian: Trump has continuously attacked Harris for her mixed heritage. Why it’s personal for some voters. Truth About Springfield: While Trump’s campaign lied about the peculiar eating habits of immigrants, there has indeed been an influx of Haitians into Springfield, Ohio in recent years.
The term " Florida Man " is a popular internet meme based on the notion that the state is home to people prone to irrational or outrageous behaviour. A CNN article on the meme suggested that the large number of bizarre incidents in Florida can be attributed to several factors: public records laws that allow journalists easy access to police reports, the state’s sizeable population, its wildly unpredictable weather, and, frankly, inadequate mental health funding.
Here are a few recent examples:
In fact, there’s even an internet game called the Florida Man Birthday Challenge, where you type your birthday followed by "Florida Man" to discover the wild adventure of a Florida resident on that day. Going forward, 15th September will read: “Florida Man tries to assassinate Donald Trump.”
Of course, some pedants might point out that "Florida Man" doesn’t apply here, as Ryan Routh was most recently in Hawaii and spent much of his life in North Carolina, but you know what they say about Rome...
While assassination attempts on US Presidents (and presidential candidates) are very much part of the nation’s history, a second attempt during a single election cycle is quite rare. This second attempt on Trump took place in his natural habitat – the golf course – where a man named Ryan Routh, armed with an AK-47 rifle, managed to get within 300-500 yards of where Trump was golfing.
The last time Trump was shot at, it became an iconic image, after which Trump, in his usual humble style, boasted: “A lot of people say it’s the most iconic photo they’ve ever seen. They’re right, and I didn’t die. Usually, you have to die to have an iconic picture.”
This time, he joked with his doctor that he was glad he “didn’t need his services today” and told Sean Hannity of Fox News that he was “disappointed not to be able to finish his putt,” noting that he was “even and had a birdie putt.”
The Times of India’s front-page headline ‘Donald Trumps Death’, that appeared in the July 15th edition, impressed the world and how!
— The Times Of India (@timesofindia) July 16, 2024
In no time, the headline had reached over 60 million across the globe and the internet had already hailed it as the best headline ever!
Moments… pic.twitter.com/AgVOLEcWzG
Interestingly, Routh has been in the news before. In 2023, he appeared in a New York Times profile about Americans who had travelled to Ukraine after Russia’s 2022 invasion. He claimed to have tried to recruit Afghan soldiers – who had fled the Taliban – to fight against Russia, and his social media profile makes it hard to pinpoint his exact political ideology.
In 2016, he voted for Trump before becoming infuriated with him. By 2020, Routh was quite infatuated with Tulsi Gabbard , and more recently appeared to support a Ramaswamy-Haley Republican ticket. He wrote on X (formerly Twitter) when Ramaswamy dropped out: “You cannot quit. Why? You must stay on the ballot until the end. You must fight. You must keep giving speeches and push all the way to Election Day, no matter the results. Do not give in. Join Nikki and keep working. Never give up.”
The first assassination attempt on Trump prompted the Democratic establishment to pull the plug on Joe Biden’s presidency.
To be fair, we’re in completely uncharted waters here, with a second assassination attempt on a presidential nominee during one election cycle. America’s current broken kulturkampf makes it difficult to predict the outcome, especially as MAGA has fundamentally transformed the Republican Party . What was once a party of fiscal conservatism, respect for institutions, and commitment to free markets has shifted to a personality-driven populist movement centred around Trump. This shift has alienated many traditional Republicans, created deep internal divisions, and left the GOP grappling with an identity crisis. Before the assassination attempt, the Republican Party's major attack was based on the false rumour that Haitians were eating cats in Springfield, Ohio.
Here are the ten big developments for the day:
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