Man convicted for attempting to assassinate Trump

A federal jury on Tuesday convicted a Hawaii man on all charges related to an attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at his golf course in Florida last year.

Ryan Routh, 59, was found guilty of attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and multiple firearms offenses following a 12-day trial.
He now faces a possible life sentence, with sentencing scheduled for December 18.

Following the verdict, Routh appeared to try to stab himself in the neck with a pen in the courtroom, according to reports from Fox News and NBC. Court marshals quickly intervened to restrain him.

The incident took place on September 15, 2024, at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course. A Secret Service agent reportedly spotted the barrel of a rifle emerging from bushes near the course’s perimeter. The agent opened fire, and Routh fled the scene by car before being arrested shortly after.

Trump, who was campaigning for a second presidential term at the time, responded to the conviction by thanking Attorney General Pam Bondi and Department of Justice prosecutors. “This was an evil man with an evil intention, and they caught him,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Bondi issued a statement following the verdict, saying it demonstrated the Justice Department’s commitment to prosecuting political violence. “This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our president, but an affront to our very nation itself,” she said.

Routh represented himself during the trial in Fort Pierce, Florida. His courtroom behavior included disorganized and rambling statements, prompting U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to cut short his opening argument.

Routh reportedly had a fixation on the war in Ukraine and had previously traveled to Kyiv in an effort to join foreign volunteer forces, but was rejected due to his age and lack of military experience.

This attempt followed a separate assassination attempt on Trump on July 13, 2024, when gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, grazing Trump’s ear. Crooks was killed at the scene by a Secret Service sniper.