A Florida man who plotted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his golf course in September 2024 has been sentenced to life in prison.
Ryan Routh, 59, was convicted in September of attempting to kill then-candidate Trump, marking the second known attempt on the billionaire’s life in the months leading up to the November election that returned him to the White House.
At a 90-minute hearing, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon handed down a sentence of life plus seven years, saying it was “to protect the public from future crime” committed by Routh. Addressing the defendant, she added: “The evil is in you. Not in everybody else.”
Routh was arrested on September 15, 2024, after a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle barrel protruding from bushes near the West Palm Beach golf course, where Trump was playing. The agent fired at Routh as he attempted to flee in a vehicle; he was captured shortly thereafter.
During the trial, Routh represented himself despite having no legal training. Reports said he made unusual requests while in detention, including strippers and a golf putting green, and asked that jurors be chosen based on their opinions on Gaza and Trump’s interest in purchasing Greenland. All requests were denied.
Routh’s plot came just two months after another assassination attempt on Trump in July 2024 in Pennsylvania, when 20-year-old Matthew Crooks fired several shots during a rally, one grazing Trump’s ear. The attack, which killed a rally attendee, became a pivotal moment in Trump’s campaign. Crooks was shot by security personnel, and his motives remain unclear.
