‘Copycat’ assassins worry Marco Rubio in wake of latest Donald Trump incident
Marco Rubio. Image via AP.

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'There are potentially dozens of people out there that, given the opportunity, may do the exact same thing.'

Florida’s senior Senator says it’s entirely possible that the two attempts on Donald Trump’s life this Summer may just be a prelude to more of the same.

During an appearance on Fox News, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio warned of a “copycat problem” that could emerge in the seven weeks between now and the election.

“There are potentially dozens of people out there that, given the opportunity, may do the exact same thing and watch the sort of coverage about this and try to replicate it somewhere down the line,” Rubio said on “America’s Newsroom.”

“I think it’s quite possible that even as I speak to you now, there’s someone plotting to do the exact same thing to Donald Trump or somebody else. So we need to learn how these people work because we need to understand the warning signs to get ahead of this.”

Over the weekend at Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, shots were fired at the gunman before he fled and was eventually arrested. Would-be assassin Ryan Routh was apparently hidden away for hours waiting to get a shot in on Trump.

Rubio suggested that Routh may have been influenced by adverse media coverage of the former President claiming that Trump “is going to be the next Adolf Hitler, the next (Benito) Mussolini.”

“If you do these sorts of things, you eventually have to conclude that the overwhelming majority of people that see that are going to say, ‘We better vote against this guy.’ But there are enough lunatics and nut jobs out there who are going to take the next step and say, ‘Well, this guy is truly evil, truly dangerous. Our democracy and our system of government is going to be wiped out if this guy wins.'”

Rubio added that Routh, who urged Iran to kill Trump in a published manifesto, “clearly was influenced in some way by this rhetoric about Trump being this dangerous dictator.”

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. He writes for the New York Post and National Review also, with previous work in the American Conservative and Washington Times and a 15+ year run as a columnist in Folio Weekly. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


21 comments

  • KathrynA

    September 17, 2024 at 10:39 am

    I agree there could be those disturbed people who might try to do this, but not let’s forget the 33 bomb threats in Springfield alone Trump and Vance have fueled through lies, all the hatred Trump has directed at so many and the countless people who have had to hire more security just to keep themselves and their families safe. Look at his laughter at what happened to Paul Pelosi. Look at what he said about Taylor Swift the day of this event and all the inflammatory statements he makes continually for the past 9 years. He is the one who needs to calm things down and encourage his followers and conspiracy people to stop. We are sick of his words, actions, hate and chaos.

    • Word Salad

      September 17, 2024 at 11:19 am

      Do you by chance live in Springfield? If you don’t, how do you know what really is going on there? Here’s a challenge for you. Go to your city council meeting and advocate for your city or town to take 20,000 migrants. See what happens with that one🤣

      • rick whitaker

        September 17, 2024 at 7:36 pm

        MAGA MARK, all cities are totally different, you fool. apples and oranges don’t add up, you fool. another post by you that is very racist, predictable.

      • Ocean Joe

        September 18, 2024 at 6:07 am

        On Springfield, does anybody doubt that Trump and Vance’s comments ginning up anti-immigrant prejudice will lead to somebody getting hurt?
        When the falsity of a slander is made clear a decent man would drop it and apologize.

      • Dont Say FLA

        September 18, 2024 at 9:47 am

        I saw a guy on television talking about bomb threats in Springfield OH.

        According to Turnip J Truck, seeing an unnamed guy on television saying something? That is proof enough! That’s all that’s needed for facts.

        But I can name my guy. He’s the Springfield OH City Manager named Brian Heck.

        Now let’s hear the names of Turnip J Truck’s “people on television” who he watched say their dogs and cats were being eaten and the geese at the park too.

        Say their names.

      • Will

        September 20, 2024 at 9:09 am

        you rong them migrants aint the ishoo and trump gon loose yo 4 reel NO DAT.

    • rbruce

      September 17, 2024 at 12:10 pm

      Look at Opa Locka, Fl. Haitians were placed there years ago. Pop is 52% Black (16,200 total population), Non-Hispanic Whites are 3% Foreign born = 36% Poverty level is 28%. Less than 12% graduated high school. High School graduates = 42%. About 17% didn’t go beyond 8th grade.
      Springfield will turn into a Northern Opa Locka in a short time. Cannot dump thousands of untrained uneducated foreigners into a small town without negative effects.

      • MH/Duuuval

        September 17, 2024 at 4:20 pm

        One difference: Opa-locka has agricultural field work; Springfield, Ohio, needs factory workers.

        The Haitian migrants, legal and vetted, were attracted to Springfield by unskilled and semi-skilled factory jobs that were unfilled by locals.

        If these employers can make a profit and stay in business, the Haitian migrants have an opportunity to do what all human beings aspire to do.

      • rick whitaker

        September 17, 2024 at 7:37 pm

        RBRUCE, you are an obvious racist. all your so called facts and figures are bogus. racist use that ploy often.

  • jean solomon

    September 17, 2024 at 10:54 am

    strange that this supposedly happened as JD was making his racist comments about Haitians…it served its purpose tho’ the media;s attention was diverted from Vance…it is strange that this guy knew where Trumpf would be, on that day, at that time. it suppsedly was not a scheduled tee time. inquiring minds want to know.!!!!!

    • Dont Say FLA

      September 18, 2024 at 9:43 am

      4 to 6 hours empty spot on the schedule = golf. It’s just not that hard.

  • Billy Rotberg

    September 17, 2024 at 11:16 am

    Biden said “It’s time to put Trump in a Bullseye”
    And then 2 wannabe assassins did just that.

    • JD

      September 17, 2024 at 12:49 pm

      The quote is fake. Prove he said!

      LIAR! You just proved you were a LIAR!

    • PeterH

      September 17, 2024 at 12:55 pm

      FACTS COUNT
      Biden made the remark in a private phone call with campaign donors. As the context suggests, his use of the word “bull’s-eye” was metaphorical and referred to refocusing the campaign’s efforts on defeating Trump in the 2024 election. It was not, as some claimed, a call to violence. It is also not the case that Biden tweeted those same words from his X account; the circulating screenshot is fake.

    • Dont Say FLA

      September 18, 2024 at 9:43 am

      Attention has a target. Verbal use of the word “bullseye” regarding shifting the target of attention is entirely appropriate.

      Inappropriate would be placing crosshairs (as seen in a rifle scope reticle) over the face of a political candidate on a print media campaign advertisement and mailing that out. This gets done once again by some MAGA candidate each and every election year! Shoot sometimes they even do it to other GOPs during the GOP primary!

      Ex-MAGAs are who keep trying to off Turnip J Truck in numbers like nobody’s ever seen before. Nobody’s more dangerous to a cult and its leader than people who fled the cult.

      That’s why cults have words for demonizing non-cult humans and that’s why cult leaders tell you everything you hear about the cult is false lies unless the cult leader is the one telling you about his cult.

  • PeterH

    September 17, 2024 at 11:59 am

    Republicans are desperate now. They will use ever opportunity to distract from the racist tropes Trump and Vance deliver hourly.

    • Billy Rotberg

      September 17, 2024 at 12:23 pm

      *Every

      • JD

        September 17, 2024 at 12:49 pm

        Apparently misspelling trigger you snowflake?

        Go run and hide you cowardly liar.

  • Josh Green

    September 18, 2024 at 9:17 am

    “This is just part of life now.”

  • Dont Say FLA

    September 18, 2024 at 9:37 am

    They’re eating the copy CATS!

  • Jojo

    September 18, 2024 at 12:22 pm

    No Marco. The latest shooter voted for Trump last time. He’s only pissed now because of trumps stand on Ukraine.
    NOT Democratic rhetoric

Comments are closed.


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