Man convicted of attempting to assassinate Trump sentenced to life

A man accused of hiding in bushes at a Florida golf course with a semi-automatic rifle in an attempt to assassinate Donald Trump less than two months before the 2024 US election that returned him to the presidency has been sentenced to life in prison.

Ryan Routh, 59, was handed the life sentence on Wednesday by US District Judge Aileen Cannon after a jury convicted him last September on five criminal counts, including attempted assassination. Routh represented himself during the trial.

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

Shackled and dressed in beige prison clothing, Routh made a rambling address during the hearing that avoided the facts of the case and instead focused on foreign wars and his wish to be exchanged with political prisoners abroad.

Prosecutors had recommended a life sentence, while Routh had asked the judge, who was appointed by Trump, to impose a 27-year prison term.

His lawyer, Martin Roth, described him as troubled and complex but said he had a “very good core” and cared deeply about others. He later told reporters that he plans to appeal both the conviction and sentence.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi said Routh would never be released.

“Ryan Routh’s heinous attempted assassination of President Trump was not only an attack on our President — it was a direct assault against our entire democratic system,” she said.

‘Execution is not an option’

During his remarks, Routh called himself a “failure”, described the sentence as “totally unimportant” and said “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,” he said.

Routh read from 20 pages of prepared notes but was stopped by the judge after about 15 minutes, with Cannon saying the comments were irrelevant.

In earlier court filings, he denied intending to kill Trump and said he was willing to undergo psychological treatment for a personality disorder while in prison. He also argued that jurors were misled because he lacked the ability to mount an effective legal defence.

Prosecutor John Shipley told the court that the crime sought to “upend American democracy” and urged the judge to send a strong message that political violence would not be tolerated.

In sentencing him, Cannon cited the “sheer seriousness” of the offences and noted Routh’s long criminal history, which includes at least 36 prior convictions for crimes such as possession of a mass destructive device, illegal firearm possession and theft.

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

Arrest and investigation

Routh, who most recently lived in Hawaii and previously in North Carolina, was also convicted on three counts of illegal firearm possession and one charge of impeding a federal officer during his arrest.

Secret Service agents spotted him hiding in bushes a few hundred yards from where Trump was golfing at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on September 15, 2024. He fled and left behind a semi-automatic rifle but was later arrested during a traffic stop.

Prosecutors said he had travelled to South Florida about a month earlier, staying at a truck stop while tracking Trump’s movements and schedule.

According to trial evidence, Routh carried six mobile phones and used fake names to conceal his identity. He reportedly lay in wait in thick bushes for nearly 10 hours on the day of the incident. Investigators recovered the rifle, metal plates resembling body armour and a video camera aimed at the golf course.

Although he pleaded not guilty, Routh dismissed his lawyers and chose to represent himself in court despite having no formal legal training.

After the jury delivered the verdict, he appeared to attempt to stab himself with a pen and had to be restrained by US marshals. His daughter shouted in court that her father had not hurt anyone and that she would get him out of prison.

Second assassination attempt

The incident occurred two months after another gunman’s bullet grazed Trump’s ear during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

Both incidents took place in the run-up to the November 2024 election, in which Trump, a Republican, regained the presidency after losing four years earlier to Democrat Joe Biden.

Trump later praised the verdict on his Truth Social platform, writing: “This was an evil man with an evil intention, and they caught him.”