Ryan Routh, who is accused of trying to assassinate the then Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in September 2024, has been found guilty. A jury found Routh guilty of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate and four other charges, including impeding a federal agent and weapons offenses.
Routh tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen after the jury found him guilty. A short time later, Routh was returned to the courtroom wearing handcuffs. According to US media reports, there was no blood visible on his white shirt suggesting that he did not appear to have succeeded in harming himself.
Assassination attempt on Trump
Routh was arrested by the US Secret Service after he was found lurking with a gun near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, when the presidential candidate was golfing.
Routh fled without firing a shot after a US Secret Service agent patrolling the course ahead of Trump spotted Routh and the rifle and opened fire, according to witness testimony in the case.
This courtroom sketch shows U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon listening to Ryan Routh during his trial where he is charged with attempting to assassinate Donald Trump last year at a golf course in South Florida, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Fort Pierce, Fla. (Lothar Speer via AP)
This plot was carefully crafted and deadly serious,” prosecutor John Shipley said at the start of the trial, adding that without the intervention of the Secret Service agent, “Donald Trump would not be alive.”
The 59-year-old was found guilty after a 12-day trial in federal court in Fort Pierce, Florida, where Routh represented himself. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
What Pam Bondi said
“Today’s guilty verdict against would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh illustrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence,” US Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement on X. “This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our President, but an affront to our very nation itself.”
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Routh represented himself in court
Routh, who had pleaded not guilty to all charges, opted to fire his lawyers and defend himself at trial. His defense was based on what he described as his gentle and non-violent nature, but his meandering opening statement was cut off by a federal judge and he offered little pushback as a parade of law enforcement witnesses detailed the evidence in the case.
Dramatic court hearing
On Monday, the last day of the trial, the court also saw dramatic scenes as the US District Judge Aileen Cannon had reminded Routh that closing arguments must be tied to evidence and testimony presented during the trial.
She warned him that failing to follow those restrictions could lead to his losing his closing argument time. Routh exercised his constitutional right not to testify in his own defense, and Cannon said Routh can’t use his closing argument as a chance to testify without the potential for cross-examination.
“This can’t be your opportunity to provide pseudo-testimony outside the context of sworn testimony,” Cannon said. Routh said he understood, but he also claimed to understand nearly two weeks ago when Cannon gave him similar instructions for his opening statement.
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Routh rested his case Monday morning after questioning just three witnesses — a firearms expert and two character witnesses — for a total of about three hours. In contrast, prosecutors spent seven days questioning 38 witnesses.
What motivated Routh
Routh, who most recently lived in Hawaii, had an erratic life as a roofing contractor and involved himself in pro-democracy movements in Taiwan and Ukraine, where he travelled twice following Russia’s invasion.
His daughter Sara told Reuters that he stayed initially in Ukraine for 10 months, sleeping in a tent in Kyiv and helping recruit volunteers and source supplies. Routh’s trips to Ukraine were part of a pattern of grand gestures to aid people he considered vulnerable or defenseless, plans that often ran into practical stumbling blocks.
“They were about to fight a war. They had nothing to fight with,” Sara Routh said. “He felt like he could make a difference.”
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Meticulous planning
Prosecutors alleged that Routh arrived in South Florida about a month before the September 15, 2024, incident, staying at a truck stop and tracking Trump’s movements and schedule. Routh allegedly carried six cell phones and used fake names to conceal his identity.
He lay in wait for nearly 10 hours on the day of the incident, concealing himself in thick bushes overlooking the sixth hole green, prosecutors alleged. Investigators at the scene found an SKS-style rifle, two bags containing metal plates like those used in body armor, and a small video camera pointed toward the course.
