Lawmakers react to former President Donald Trump's assassination attempt, and Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz discusses campaign strategy.

Suspect in apparent Trump assassination attempt charged with federal gun crimes

Ryan Wesley Routh, the man suspected in the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump, has been charged with federal gun crimes on Monday in his first appearance in federal court.

During an eight-minute hearing, prosecutors levied two charges against him: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

The charge of a convicted felon in possession of a firearm carries a possible 15-year sentence, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

A second charge of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number carries a possible five-year prison sentence, a $250,000 fine and also three years supervised release.

A bond hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 23, and a probable cause hearing or arraignment has been set for Sept. 30, depending on whether the government secures an indictment on the charges.

During the hearing, Routh gave routine information to court officials as to his work status and income. Speaking in a soft voice, he said that he was working and making around $3,000 a month, but has zero savings.

Routh said that he has no real estate or assets, aside from two trucks worth about $1,000, both located in Hawaii.

Routh also said that he has a 25-year-old son, whom he sometimes supports.

Records show that the suspect spent nearly 12 hours near golf course before being confronted.

An FBI affidavit accompanying a criminal complaint shows how law enforcement officials, during their investigation, used his cellphone information to place him at the golf course from 1:59 a.m. Sunday until about 1:31 p.m. A digital camera, a loaded rifle with scope and a plastic bag containing food was recovered from the area where Routh had positioned himself, according to the affidavit.

The authorities did not immediately reveal any new details about Routh or allege a particular motive. But he left an online footprint that reveals shifting political views and intense outrage about world events.

Routh portrayed himself online as a man who built housing for homeless people in Hawaii, tried to recruit fighters for Ukraine to defend itself against Russia, and described his support and then disdain for Donald Trump — even urging Iran to kill him.

Trump, Republicans accuse Democrats of sparking apparent assassination attempt with their rhetoric

Former President Donald Trump and other Republicans are blaming the heated rhetoric of Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris, for Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt on the former president in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The suspected gunman “believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it," Trump said in an interview with Fox News Digital on Monday morning. "Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at.”

In a post on his Truth Social platform Monday afternoon, Trump wrote: “The Rhetoric, Lies, as exemplified by the false statements made by Comrade Kamala Harris during the rigged and highly partisan ABC Debate, and all of the ridiculous lawsuits specifically designed to inflict damage on Joe’s, then Kamala’s, Political Opponent, ME, has taken politics in our Country to a whole new level of Hatred, Abuse, and Distrust. Because of this Communist Left Rhetoric, the bullets are flying, and it will only get worse!”

Since Sunday’s incident, Republicans have cited Democrats’ attacks on Trump, including calling him a fascist and claiming he’s a threat to Democracy. Trump pushed false claims of widespread voter fraud as he sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election, actions for which he faces federal and state criminal charges. He has pleaded not guilty.

“I think @KamalaHarris should cool the rhetoric about Donald Trump before it gets him killed,” Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., wrote Sunday night in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

“This rhetoric — calling him evil, calling him Hitler, how he’s an existential threat to democracy — OK, that diminished for about a week after July 13, and it came roaring back, particularly during their convention,” Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., said in an interview Monday with Fox Business.

Democrats, including Harris and President Joe Biden, have condemned Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt and political violence, as have Republicans.

“I am deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today,” Harris, Trump’s opponent in November’s presidential election, said in a statement Sunday. “As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence.”

Said Biden: “As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country.”

In his Fox News interview Monday, Trump made comments on par with the attacks for which he excoriated Democrats. 

“They are the ones that are destroying the country — both from the inside and out,” he said of Democrats. 

"It is called the enemy from within,” he added. “They are the real threat." 

On Sunday, Tesla, SpaceX and X owner Elon Musk — who is in line for a role in a second Trump administration — mused in an X post about why no one has attempted to kill Harris or Biden. Musk has deleted the post, saying it was a joke in which people might not have understood the context. The White House condemned Musk's remark as "irresponsible."

Exclusive: Walz says key to Harris winning rural voters is focusing on economy

Democratic vice presidential hopeful and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz believes that winning Wisconsin — and likely across the country — will be a game of inches.

"I think we understand Wisconsin is going to be close. Folks are working hard on the ground," Walz told Spectrum News in an exclusive interview shortly after his Saturday afternoon rally in Superior, Wisconsin.

But the key will be helping voters — especially rural voters, whom Walz struggled to effectively court in his own gubernatorial race — understand that the economic plan touted by Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is set to work for them.

"We need to make sure that when we do the Farm Bill, we’re not just looking for big agriculture. We’re looking for the family farm in Wisconsin, whether that’s small dairy herds or folks trying to make it. So I think taking those messages to them, seeing the investments in infrastructure like the Blatnik Bridge here in Superior (which connects the city to Duluth, Minnesota), those are things that Kamala Harris delivered on in those rural communities," Walz said.

The biggest job for the campaign, Walz said, is to make sure that voters are able to see how the economy is working for them: having the ability to collectively bargain, being able to afford homes, seeing helpful investments in education from the federal government and bringing down the costs of needed goods like prescription drugs.

"I think those are things people think about, daily things that they’re concerned about — start bringing the price down on that, and start making sure people are paid a fair wage — which we’re seeing that happen, too," he said. "And then I’ll just say, we saw in Minnesota, when you propose tax cuts for the middle class — which Kamala Harris has done — whether it’s a child tax credit or other things, that makes a big difference."

Meanwhile, Walz said he is prepping for his face-off with GOP running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance on Oct. 1.

"I’m working hard, continuing to try and learn the issues. I look forward to having a robust conversation about our visions of America, and I think you’re seeing us on the campaign trail that I believe in America, I believe in the middle class and I’m making sure that I have all those facts to back that up," Walz said, adding that he doesn’t currently have a stand-in for Vance to practice debating against. He did note that, while he hasn’t met Vance in person, the two have exchanged messages.

The matter of the marijuana industry — or lack thereof in Wisconsin; cannabis is illegal for both medical and recreational use in the state — has been cropping up in the Badger State, especially as word circulates that surrounding states are feeling an economic boom from the medicinal and recreational crop.

Walz wasn't firm on whether or not the drug should be legalized nationwide across the U.S., rather deferring to it as a legislative matter for Congress to hash out once "Democrats are in charge of the House and the Senate."

But he noted that the matter of transactions and banking is a key obstacle toward legalization, especially on a federal and international scale.

Having his family on the campaign trail — including his wife Gwen, daughter Hope and son Gus — has helped to lighten the mood, Walz said.

"The days on the trail, to have them there, kind of keeps you grounded. My daughter keeps me laughing, and Gwen's out working really hard, too. And as you saw in there, she is fired up about winning this thing," he added. Gwen Walz has become a key campaign surrogate, leading Teachers for Harris-Walz events across the country and displaying her own ability to lecture on the campaign trail.

Shortly after Tuesday’s presidential debate, as Walz was offering his reactions to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, the news broke that music icon Taylor Swift had offered her endorsement to the Harris-Walz campaign — and glowingly complimented Walz in the process. What isn’t clear is if there are plans to bring Swift on the campaign trail.

"If there are, they haven’t told me," Walz said, with a laugh. "I think Taylor Swift’s message about getting informed on the issues, going through and doing your research on it, she came to the conclusion that Vice President Harris is the right person, and so that’s a good one. I know my daughter really hopes that’s happening, so if it is, I’ll let 'em know," he added.