Would-Be Trump Assassin Sentenced to Life in Prison

Ryan Routh, the man convicted of plotting to assassinate President Trump at his Florida golf course in 2024, has been sentenced to life in prison.Federal Judge Aileen Cannon handed down the sentence Wednesday following Routh’s conviction in September on five counts, including the attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate. Prosecutors argued aggressively for the maximum penalty, citing the calculated nature of the crime and Routh’s lack of remorse.Routh spoke in court Wednesday for about 15 minutes, saying he is a good person and mentioning his alleged work in Ukraine trying to recruit for their army. But Judge Cannon eventually put an end to his soliloquy, saying he is an evil person who intended to kill Mr. Trump.Prosecutors said in a court filing last month that “Routh’s crimes undeniably warrant a life sentence — he took steps over the course of months to assassinate a major Presidential candidate.” They further noted that Routh “demonstrated the will to kill anybody in the way, and has since expressed neither regret nor remorse to his victims.”In sentencing papers, the prosecution emphasized that “Routh remains unrepentant for his crimes, never apologized for the lives he put at risk, and his life demonstrates near-total disregard for law.”Routh’s defense attorney, Martin Roth, requested a more lenient sentence of 27 years, pointing out that his client was approaching his 60th birthday. Mr. Roth argued that the lesser sentence would be a “just punishment” that would still allow Routh “to experience freedom again as opposed to dying in prison.”The sentencing stems from an incident on September 15, 2024. According to evidence presented at trial, Routh camped out in a sniper’s nest equipped with an SKS Soviet-styled rifle and ceramic plates along the fence of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. He was positioned at the sixth hole while the president played just one hole away.A Secret Service agent spotted Routh’s face and the rifle barrel through the fence and opened fire. Routh fled the scene but was identified thanks to Tommy McGee, a citizen who witnessed Routh fleeing and recorded his license plate.During cross-examination at trial, Routh addressed Mr. McGee directly, telling him, “You’re a good man. You’re my hero. You’re an American hero.”Investigators later uncovered a letter written by Routh confessing to the plot. “I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster,” the letter read. “It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job.”The road to sentencing was marked by a bizarre and volatile trial in which Routh chose to represent himself. Judge Cannon frequently had to reprimand Routh for veering into irrelevant topics, ranging from drug use to prehistoric history and world leaders like Vladimir Putin and Adolf Hitler.In pretrial filings, Routh had referred to Mr. Trump as “a racist pig” and challenged him to “a beatdown session,” adding that if “he wins, he can execute me, I win, I get his job.”During his closing arguments, Routh attempted to argue that the assassination was “never going to happen” and claimed that “if the attempted assassination was not taken, it is not an attempt.”The trial concluded with a dramatic scene in September. When the guilty verdict was read, Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen. His daughter, who had stormed out of the courtroom cursing, screamed from the audience, “Oh my God, he’s trying to kill himself, he’s trying to kill himself! Someone stop him, please!”

Would-Be Trump Assassin Sentenced to Life in Prison

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