Ryan Routh, the man convicted of attempting to assassinate then–presidential candidate Donald Trump at a Florida golf course in 2024, has been sentenced to life in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon delivered the sentence Wednesday in Fort Pierce, also imposing a mandatory consecutive seven-year term tied to a firearms conviction.
The September 2024 incident unfolded at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. Trial testimony revealed that a U.S. Secret Service agent spotted Routh hiding in shrubbery before Trump came into view. Routh aimed a rifle toward the agent but dropped the weapon and fled after the agent opened fire. He was arrested shortly afterward on a nearby highway.
Routh, 59, represented himself for much of the trial, a decision that led to erratic courtroom moments, including an attempt to harm himself with a pen after the verdict was read. Judge Cannon later appointed counsel for sentencing, citing the need to preserve the integrity of the proceedings despite previously allowing him to proceed without an attorney. A jury found Routh guilty last fall on five felony counts, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and multiple gun-related offenses.
Prosecutors argued that federal sentencing guidelines justified life behind bars, emphasizing that Routh spent months planning the attack and showed no remorse. Prosecutors also noted Routh’s extensive criminal history and online writings expressing hostility toward Trump. In court filings, the Justice Department wrote that “Routh’s crimes undeniably warrant a life sentence—he took steps over the course of months to assassinate a major Presidential candidate, demonstrated the will to kill anybody in the way, and has since expressed neither regret nor remorse to his victims.”
Defense attorneys sought a significantly lighter sentence, with Routh’s family members submitted letters urging the court to consider rehabilitation and mental health treatment. The defense requested between 20 and 27 years based on Routh’s age, mental health history, and the fact that no shots were fired. One filing stated that Routh “asserts that the jury was misled by his inability to effectively confront witnesses, use exhibits or affirmatively introduce impeachment evidence designed to prove his lack of intent to cause injury to anyone,” and also challenged the classification of the case as a terrorism offense.
Ultimately, the court sided with the government, concluding that the seriousness of the plot and the risk to public safety warranted the harshest possible sentence.
Editorial credit: Katherine Welles / Shutterstock.com