A federal jury convicted Ryan Routh, 59, of Hawaii, on all counts related to his attempt to assassinate former U.S. President Donald Trump at his Florida golf course last year.
Routh was found guilty of attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and multiple firearms offenses after a 12-day trial in Fort Pierce, Florida. He now faces a possible life sentence, with sentencing scheduled for December 18, 2025.
Courtroom drama unfolded as Routh allegedly tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen after the verdict was read. U.S. Marshals quickly restrained him, according to reports by Fox News and NBC.
Trump, who was then campaigning for a second presidential term at the time of the attack, praised the Justice Department for securing the conviction.
“This was an evil man with an evil intention, and they caught him,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, congratulating Attorney General Pam Bondi and federal prosecutors.
Bondi, in a statement, called the verdict “a strong message against political violence.”
“This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our president, but an affront to our very nation itself,” she said.
Routh was arrested on September 15, 2024, after a Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of a rifle protruding from bushes near the perimeter of Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course. The agent opened fire, and Routh fled in a vehicle before being arrested shortly after.
The case came just months after a separate assassination attempt on Trump in July 2024, when Thomas Matthew Crooks fired several shots during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, grazing Trump’s right ear. Crooks was killed by a Secret Service sniper.
Routh, who represented himself during the trial, frequently made rambling courtroom statements that tested the patience of District Judge Aileen Cannon, who cut short his opening remarks.
According to investigators, Routh had a fixation with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and even traveled to Kyiv in an attempt to join foreign volunteer units. He was reportedly turned away due to his age and lack of military experience.
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