A US judge on Wednesday sentenced Ryan Routh to life in prison after he was charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump less than two months before the 2024 national election.
Delivering a fiery speech at the hearing, Routh did not touch on any facts of the case but focused on foreign wars and his willingness to exchange political prisoners abroad. (AP file photo)Routh was hiding in the bushes on a golf course in Florida with a semi-automatic rifle when he tried to kill the president, Reuters reported. Secret Service agents found him hiding in bushes, about a few hundred yards from where President Trump was playing golf at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on September 15, 2024. He was later arrested.
U.S. District Judge Eileen Cannon handed down the sentence in Fort Pierce, Florida.
“It is clear to me that you engaged in a premeditated, calculated plot to take a human life,” Cannon said.
The 59-year-old defendant, Routh, was convicted by a jury in September 2025 of five criminal counts including attempted murder after acting as his own defense attorney at the trial despite having no formal legal training.
During the hearing, prosecutors said Routh’s crimes were aimed at “promoting American democracy” because he urged Cannon to send a message that political violence is unacceptable in the country.
Donald Trump took to his Truth social handle to welcome the verdict. “It was an evil man with an evil motive and they caught him,” he wrote.
What did Routh say?Delivering a fiery speech at the hearing, Routh did not touch on any facts of the case but focused on foreign wars and his willingness to exchange political prisoners abroad.
When prosecutors recommended a life sentence, Ruth asked the judge, who was a Trump appointee, to impose a 27-year term.
In his remarks, Routh called himself a failure and said his sentence was “totally irrelevant” and regretted that “sadly, execution is not an option.”
Reading from his prepared notes, Routh said, “I give every drop of my being every day for the betterment of my community and this nation.”
After the jury’s verdict was read, he tried to stab himself with a pen multiple times and had to be restrained by marshals. His daughter protested the sentence in court, claiming that her father had not hurt anyone and that she would get him out of prison.
Routh’s lawyer noted that although he was a troubled and complicated person, he had a “very good core” and cared deeply about the well-being of others, and that he plans to appeal his conviction and sentence.
Not the first assassination attempt on TrumpRouth’s assassination attempt came nearly two months after a gunman opened fire on Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Two assassination attempts did not stop the Republican supremo from returning to his presidency after he was defeated by Democrat Joe Biden four years ago.
Trump, who survived both attempts, instead flipping them on campaign issues, said the U.S. Justice Department under Biden could not be trusted to investigate.
