Ryan Routh sentenced to life in prison for attempted assassination of Trump at Florida golf course
A federal judge in Florida sentenced the 59-year-old to life imprisonment after conviction on five counts related to the September 2024 attack.
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Ryan Wesley Routh, 59, was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon in Fort Pierce, Florida, following his conviction on five counts related to an attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at a golf course in September 2024.
Routh was found guilty of attempting to shoot Trump with an assault rifle while hiding in bushes at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on September 15, 2024. The incident occurred less than two months before the 2024 presidential election that returned Trump to the White House.
In addition to the life sentence, Cannon imposed a mandatory consecutive 7-year sentence for firearm-related offenses. Prosecutors had sought the maximum penalty of life imprisonment, arguing that Routh planned the assassination attempt over several months and remains unrepentant for his actions.
In their sentencing memorandum, prosecutors wrote that Routh "remains totally unrepentant" and that "the atrocious nature of this assassination attempt—his selfish and violent decision to prevent American voters from electing President Trump by killing him—justifies severe criminal punishment." They further stated 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 represented himself during the trial and was subsequently assigned a public defender to assist with sentencing proceedings. His defense attorney, Martin Roth, had requested a more lenient sentence of 27 years.
U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi commented on the sentencing, stating: "The atrocious assassination attempt on President Trump by Ryan Routh was not only an attack on our president, but a direct attack on our entire democratic system. Thanks to our prosecutors in the National Security Division and the Southern District of Florida, Routh will never be free again."
FBI Director Kash Patel also issued a statement, describing Routh's plan as "a despicable attack on our democratic system."
During the September verdict reading, Routh's daughter stormed out while cursing, and Routh attempted to stab himself with a pen. The jury had reached its guilty verdict in September 2025 on the five counts of conviction.