Ryan Routh Sentenced to Life for Assassination Attempt on Trump

A Florida judge has sentenced Ryan Routh, the man convicted of trying to assassinate former President and 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump, to life in prison following a high-profile federal trial.

The attempted killing — which took place at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach in September 2024 — was thwarted before any shots were fired, but prosecutors argued Routh’s extended plot and behavior warranted the maximum punishment under federal law.

The 2024 Assassination Attempt at Trump International

On September 15, 2024, Ryan Wesley Routh, then 59, was discovered lurking in the bushes with a semi-automatic rifle near the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, where Donald Trump was playing golf as part of his 2024 campaign schedule. A Secret Service agent spotted Routh before Trump came into view, intercepted him, and recovered the weapon. Routh fled briefly but was quickly apprehended.

Prosecutors at trial said Routh arrived in South Florida about a month prior, conducted surveillance, and plotted the assassination over weeks before the attempted attack. They called his actions premeditated and calculated.

Conviction and Courtroom Behavior

Routh was convicted in September 2025 by a federal jury on five counts, including:

• Attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate,
• Assaulting a federal officer,
• Unlawful firearm possession,
• Using a firearm in furtherance of a crime, and
• Possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number.

During his trial, Routh mostly represented himself, a decision that legal observers described as chaotic and ineffective. After the guilty verdict, he even attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen in the courtroom before court marshals intervened.

At sentencing, Routh again made statements touching on unrelated political issues and his own worldview, but Judge Aileen Cannon said his plot was deliberate and evil, rejecting pleas for leniency.

Life Sentence for Trump Assassination Attempt and Additional Penalties

On February 4, 2026, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon sentenced Routh to life in prison, one of the harshest punishments available, reflecting the court’s view of the severity and premeditation of his actions. In addition, he received a consecutive seven-year sentence for one of the firearm convictions.

Prosecutors had pushed strongly for a life term, arguing in court filings that Routh “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.”

Routh’s attorneys argued for a reduced term of about 27 years, citing his age and mental health, but the judge and jury overwhelmingly rejected this, underscoring the danger of political violence.

Broader Context and Security Implications

The sentencing comes against the backdrop of multiple threats against political figures in recent U.S. elections. Routh’s case notably followed another 2024 assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally, where a gunman wounded Donald Trump’s ear — an attack that was stopped by Secret Service intervention.

Authorities and legal analysts have emphasised that violence against public officials or candidates poses a direct threat to democratic processes. After Routh’s sentencing, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Florida stated that his punishment “reflects a fundamental truth: political violence is un-American and will never be tolerated.”

Routh has said he intends to appeal his conviction and sentence, though his chances are considered slim given the weight of evidence and severity of the crime.

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