Ryan Routh convicted of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at his Florida golf course

A federal jury on Tuesday (September 23) convicted Ryan Routh, 59, on all charges in connection with an alleged attempt to assassinate President Donald Trump at his Florida golf course last year.

After two hours of deliberation, a jury of five men and seven women found Ryan Routh guilty of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, assaulting a federal officer, and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. He was also convicted of possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

The plot against Trump

Prosecutors said Routh spent weeks planning to kill Trump before aiming a rifle through shrubbery as the Republican presidential candidate played golf on September 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club.

A Secret Service agent testified that he spotted Routh before Trump came into view. Routh allegedly pointed his rifle at the agent, who fired first, forcing Routh to drop his weapon and flee. He was captured shortly afterward with help from a witness who saw him running from the scene.

Routh’s defense

Routh, who represented himself in court, argued that he never intended to kill Trump or anyone else.

“It’s hard for me to believe that a crime occurred if the trigger was never pulled,” he told jurors during closing arguments. He added that he could have fired at Trump or Secret Service agents but chose not to.

He called only three witnesses in his defense — a firearms expert and two character witnesses — in contrast to the prosecution’s seven-day presentation with 38 witnesses.

Routh has also pleaded not guilty to separate state charges of terrorism and attempted murder. His sentencing on the federal convictions is expected in the coming months.

DOJ response

Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed the verdict, saying it reflected the Justice Department’s commitment to “punishing those who engage in political violence.”

“This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our President, but an affront to our very nation,” Bondi said in a statement on X.

Background of Routh

Routh, a former construction worker from North Carolina who later moved to Hawaii, has a lengthy criminal record.

In 2002, he was arrested in Greensboro, NC, for eluding police and barricading himself with a fully automatic machine gun and an explosive device.

In 2010, police found more than 100 stolen items, including kayaks and spa tubs, in a warehouse he owned.

He received probation or suspended sentences in both cases.

Routh also gained attention in 2022 when he attempted to recruit fighters from Afghanistan, Moldova, and Taiwan to battle Russian forces in Ukraine.

The case came just weeks after Trump narrowly survived another assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a gunman fired eight shots at him, grazing his ear before being killed by a Secret Service sniper.