Man convicted of attempting to assassinate Trump sentenced to life

Summary

• Ryan Routh was sentenced to life in prison for attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at a Florida golf course in September 2024.
• Routh, acting as his own lawyer, was convicted on multiple charges; he expressed no remorse and Judge Cannon highlighted his "premeditated plot".
• Prosecutors cited Routh's intent to "upend American democracy," while Trump praised the verdict, calling Routh "an evil man".

FORT PIERCE, Florida - Ryan Routh, the man accused of hiding in the bushes of a Florida golf course with a semi-automatic rifle to try to assassinate Donald Trump less than two months before the 2024 US election that returned him to the presidency, was sentenced by a judge on Feb 4 to life in prison.

Routh, 59, was convicted by a jury in September 2025 of five criminal counts, including attempted assassination after serving as his own defence lawyer at trial.

US District Judge Aileen Cannon handed down the sentence in Fort Pierce, Florida.

“It’s clear to me that you engaged in a premeditated, calculated plot to take a human life,” Judge Cannon said.

Shackled at the hands and wearing beige prison garb, Routh gave a rambling address at the sentencing hearing that did not touch on any facts of the case but instead focused on foreign wars and Routh’s desire to be exchanged with political prisoners abroad.

Prosecutors had recommended a life sentence while Routh had asked the judge, a Trump appointee, to impose a 27-year term.

Prosecutor John Shipley said during the hearing that Routh’s crimes were aimed at “upending American democracy” and urged Judge Cannon to send a message that political violence is unacceptable.

Mr Martin Roth, Routh’s lawyer, said during the hearing that Routh was a troubled and complex person but that he had a “very good core” and cared deeply about the well-being of others.

Mr Roth told reporters after the hearing that he plans to appeal Routh’s conviction and sentence.

‘Execution is not an option’

Routh in his remarks at the hearing called himself a “failure,” said his sentence was “totally unimportant” and lamented that “sadly, execution is not an option”.

“I have given every drop of who I am every day for the betterment of my community and this nation,” Routh said.

Routh read from 20 pages of prepared notes, but Judge Cannon cut him off after about 15 minutes, calling his remarks irrelevant to the case.

In an earlier court filing, Routh denied he intended to kill Mr Trump, and said he was willing to undergo psychological treatment for a personality disorder in prison. Routh suggested jurors were misled about the facts of the case by his inability to mount a proper legal defence at trial.

Delivering the sentence, Judge Cannon noted the “sheer seriousness” of Routh’s crimes, and said his rap sheet of at least 36 prior convictions - including for possession of a mass destructive device, illegal possession of a firearm and larceny - showed Routh had a long history of ignoring societal norms.

“There has been much in this case about this narrative of your peaceful nature. For me, it’s the opposite,” Judge Cannon said.

Routh, who at the time of his arrest had resided most recently in Hawaii after previously living in North Carolina, also was convicted of three illegal firearm possession charges and one count of impeding a federal officer during his arrest.

Secret Service agents spotted Routh hiding in bushes
a few hundred yards from where Mr Trump was golfing at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on Sept 15, 2024. Routh fled the scene and left behind an assault-style rifle but was later arrested.

Second assassination attempt

The incident occurred two months after a bullet fired by a gunman grazed Mr Trump’s ear
at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Both incidents came in the run-up to the November 2024 election in which Mr Trump regained the presidency after being defeated four years earlier by Democrat Joe Biden.

Mr Trump, a Republican, turned the attempted assassinations into a campaign issue, saying the US Justice Department under Mr Biden could not be trusted with investigations.

Prosecutors said Routh arrived in South Florida about a month before the incident, staying at a truck stop and tracking Mr Trump’s movements and schedule.

Routh carried six cellphones and used fake names to conceal his identity, according to trial evidence, and prosecutors said he lay in wait in thick bushes for nearly 10 hours on the day of the incident. Investigators on the scene found the assault-style rifle, two bags containing body armour-like metal plates and a video camera pointed at the golf course. Routh pleaded not guilty in the case but fired his lawyers and opted to represent himself at trial despite lacking any formal legal training.

After the jury read the verdict, Routh appeared to try to stab himself with a pen several times and had to be restrained by US marshals. His daughter yelled in court that her father had not hurt anyone and that she would get him out of prison.

Mr Trump lauded the verdict in a post on his Truth Social site, writing, “This was an evil man with an evil intention, and they caught him.” REUTERS