A Florida man convicted of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday, bringing an end to one of the most serious criminal cases stemming from the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign. Ryan Routh, 59, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in Fort Pierce, Florida, following his conviction last year on multiple federal charges.
Routh was found guilty by a jury in September of five criminal counts, including attempted assassination, after choosing to represent himself at trial. Prosecutors had urged the court to impose a life sentence, arguing that Routh carefully planned the attack over several months, showed a willingness to kill anyone who interfered, and expressed no remorse for his actions. Routh, by contrast, asked for a 27-year sentence and claimed he never intended to kill Trump.
According to evidence presented at trial, U.S. Secret Service agents discovered Routh hiding in dense bushes near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on September 15, 2024, while Trump was golfing. Authorities said Routh was armed with an assault-style, semi-automatic rifle and positioned just a few hundred yards from Trump. He fled the scene, leaving the weapon behind, but was later arrested. Investigators also found body armor-like metal plates, multiple cellphones, and a video camera aimed at the golf course.
Prosecutors said Routh traveled to South Florida about a month before the incident, staying at a truck stop while tracking Trump’s movements and schedule. Trial evidence showed he used fake names and carried six cellphones to avoid detection, and that he waited in the bushes for nearly 10 hours on the day of the attempted attack. In addition to attempted assassination, Routh was convicted of three illegal firearm possession charges and one count of impeding a federal officer during his arrest.
The incident was the second assassination attempt involving Trump during the 2024 campaign. Two months earlier, a gunman fired a shot that grazed Trump’s ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Both episodes occurred in the lead-up to the November election, which Trump ultimately won, returning him to the presidency after his 2020 defeat by Joe Biden.
Throughout the trial, Routh maintained his innocence, arguing that jurors misunderstood the facts and pointing to his lack of legal training as a handicap in mounting a proper defense. His courtroom behavior drew attention, including a wide-ranging and unfocused opening statement that prompted a warning from the judge. After the guilty verdict was read, Routh appeared to attempt to harm himself with a pen and had to be restrained by U.S. marshals.
Trump later reacted to the sentencing on his Truth Social platform, praising the outcome and describing Routh as a dangerous individual whose plot was thwarted before it could turn deadly, according to Reuters.
