A federal judge has sentenced Ryan Routh to life in prison for attempting to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump during a 2024 campaign appearance at a Florida golf course.
Routh, 59, was convicted last year of attempting to kill Trump at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach in September 2024, when Trump was still a presidential candidate. On sentencing, Judge Aileen Cannon said the severity of the crime left no room for leniency.
“His actions undeniably warrant a life sentence,” Judge Cannon wrote in her sentencing memorandum, noting that Routh had taken steps over several months to carry out the attack, was willing to kill anyone who stood in his way, and had shown “neither regret nor remorse.”
According to trial testimony, a U.S. Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of a rifle protruding from bushes near the golf course while Trump was in the area. The agent immediately fired at Routh, who fled the scene but was arrested shortly afterward nearby.
Federal agents later recovered a semiautomatic rifle equipped with a scope and an extended magazine from the spot where Routh had been hiding. Jurors were also presented with evidence that Routh had compiled a list of locations where Trump was likely to appear, as well as a note left for a friend describing the incident as “an assassination attempt.”
Although prosecutors said Routh never had a clear line of sight to Trump, they argued the evidence showed how close he came to carrying out the attack. Lead prosecutor John Shipley told the court that a “mountain of evidence” demonstrated Routh’s intent and preparation.
Routh, a native of North Carolina who had been living in Hawaii prior to his arrest, pleaded not guilty and chose to represent himself during the trial, which began on 8 September. Court proceedings were frequently disrupted by his erratic behavior, including challenging Trump to a game of golf and making references to Adolf Hitler and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Following the jury’s guilty verdict, Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen before being restrained and escorted out of the courtroom by U.S. marshals.
In his closing statement, Routh spoke in the third person and wandered across unrelated subjects such as U.S. history, the war in Ukraine, and plans to buy a boat, prompting Judge Cannon to repeatedly interrupt and ultimately excuse the jury.
Routh’s attorney, Martin Ross, said an appeal will be filed.
The Florida incident was the second attempt on Trump’s life in 2024. Earlier that year, a gunman opened fire at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, killing one attendee and wounding several others, including Trump. The shooter in that case, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was shot and killed by law enforcement at the scene.
