Man who tried to shoot Trump at a Florida golf course gets life in prison

A man convicted of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a Florida golf course earlier this year was sentenced to life imprisonment on Wednesday, as federal prosecutors declared such actions fundamentally incompatible with American democracy.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon delivered the sentence to Ryan Routh in the same Fort Pierce courtroom where he had attempted to stab himself in September after jurors found him guilty on all counts. The dramatic sentencing hearing brought closure to one of the most significant political violence cases in recent American history.

“American democracy does not work when individuals take it into their own hands to eliminate candidates. That’s what this individual tried to do,” Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shipley told the court during the proceedings.

Defense attorney Martin L. Roth attempted to mitigate his client’s actions, arguing that “at the moment of truth, he chose not to pull the trigger.” However, Judge Cannon, noting Routh’s extensive criminal history, quickly dismissed this reasoning.

When given an opportunity to address the court, Routh began reading from what witnesses described as a rambling, 20-page statement. Judge Cannon interrupted him, stating that his comments were irrelevant to the proceedings, and limited him to five additional minutes.

“I did everything I could and lived a good life,” Routh said before being cut off by the judge, who delivered a scathing assessment of his character and actions.

“Your plot to kill was deliberate and evil,” Cannon declared. “You are not a peaceful man. You are not a good man.”

The sentence handed down included life without the possibility of parole, plus an additional seven years on a gun charge. Sentences for Routh’s other three crimes will run concurrently with the life term.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the outcome in a statement posted to social media platform X, thanking prosecutors for ensuring Routh “will never walk free again.”

“Ryan Routh’s heinous attempted assassination of President Trump was not only an attack on our President — it was a direct assault against our entire democratic system,” Bondi stated.

Originally scheduled for December, the sentencing was delayed after Routh decided to use an attorney during this phase, having represented himself throughout most of the trial. This decision came after a pattern of erratic courtroom behavior.

The conviction stemmed from charges including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, using a firearm to further a crime, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm as a felon, and using a gun with a defaced serial number.

In their sentencing memo, prosecutors 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.”

The defense had requested a more lenient sentence of 20 years plus the mandatory seven years for the gun conviction, noting Routh’s age—nearly 60—and arguing that a just punishment would “allow defendant to experience freedom again as opposed to dying in prison.”

According to court testimony, Routh had meticulously planned the assassination attempt for weeks before positioning himself with a rifle among shrubbery at Trump’s West Palm Beach country club on September 15, 2024. A vigilant Secret Service agent spotted Routh before Trump came into view. When Routh aimed his weapon at the agent, the agent opened fire, causing Routh to drop his rifle and flee without firing a shot.

The case highlighted significant security concerns surrounding the protection of political figures. Routh, who had multiple previous felony convictions including possession of stolen goods, had left an extensive online trail documenting his antipathy toward Trump. In a self-published book, he had encouraged Iran to assassinate the former president and admitted to bearing partial responsibility for Trump’s election as a former supporter.

Judge Cannon, who was nominated to the federal bench by Trump in 2020, had previously allowed Routh to represent himself during trial proceedings, in accordance with Supreme Court precedent establishing defendants’ right to self-representation if they demonstrate competence to waive attorney representation.

The sentencing brings to a close one of several violent incidents that have marked an increasingly tense political environment in the United States, raising continued questions about the security of public officials and the broader implications for American democracy.