Would-be Trump assassin receives life sentence

A Florida man who tried to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump has been sentenced to life in prison.

Ryan Routh, 59, received the sentence Wednesday in federal court after a jury convicted him on all counts related to the 2024 assassination attempt at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, the Daily Wire reports.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon handed down the life sentence. 

The case focused on the events of Sept. 15, 2024. On that day, Routh hid in the bushes near the sixth hole of Trump’s golf course while armed with a rifle. 

Trump was golfing at the time. A Secret Service agent saw Routh and fired, causing him to flee the scene. Police officers from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office later arrested him on Interstate 95. 

Prosecutors said the evidence showed clear intent, even as Routh tried to argue otherwise. 

After dismissing his attorneys, Routh represented himself and claimed possessing a weapon “in the presence of another is not intent.” 

Jurors rejected that argument after a two-week trial. They deliberated for about two hours before returning guilty verdicts on five counts; those verdicts included attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate and assault of a federal officer. 

Routh reportedly tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen in the courtroom before law enforcement restrained him. 

Federal investigators presented substantial evidence, which included writings and communications showing Routh hated Trump’s foreign policy. 

The FBI even obtained a letter where Routh admitted he tried to kill Trump. 

“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you,” Routh wrote. “I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job.” 

Investigators also found cellphones and a list of international flights in Routh’s vehicle. Phone records show he spent time near Trump’s golf course and his Mar-a-Lago residence multiple times in the weeks leading up to the assassination attempt. 

Court filings showed Routh sought weapons to stop Trump from serving a second term. 

In a message cited by the Justice Department, he wrote, “I need equipment so that Trump cannot get elected.” 

The attempt on Trump’s life came just two months after another shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, tried to assassinate the president at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. One of multiple bullets shot at Trump grazed his ear, and three Trump supporters were also struck, including Corey Comperatore, who died at the scene.