The Verdict and the Charges
A federal jury in Fort Pierce, Florida, found Ryan Wesley Routh guilty on all counts for the 2024 plot to assassinate Donald Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. The counts include attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Jurors deliberated only two hours before returning the verdict. He now faces a potential life sentence.
Who He Is—and the Trail Behind Him
Routh, 59, is a former North Carolina construction worker who later lived in Hawaii and styled himself as a “mercenary” recruiter during the early phase of Russia’s war in Ukraine. His record stretches back decades: in 2002, Greensboro police encountered him during a standoff where filings describe a fully automatic weapon that was treated as a “weapon of mass destruction.”
Prior to 2002, his criminal record consisted of over 100 charges, mostly misdemeanors, including driving violations, bad checks, and a 1997 misdemeanor larceny conviction, but no felonies. Not yet.
In 2010, police found more than 100 stolen items in a warehouse tied to him; in both of his felony cases, he received probation or a suspended sentence.
To learn more about Routh, you’ll want to read my interview with Chelsea Walsh, a nurse who reported red flags to the feds about Routh’s odd behavior before he tried to kill the President.
How the Attempt Unfolded
Ryan Routh’s assassination attempt on President Donald Trump unfolded on September 15, 2024, at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Routh positioned himself in shrubbery about 300 to 500 yards from Trump while the then-presidential candidate was golfing. He was seen aiming an SKS-style semi-automatic rifle through the fence line toward Trump or his security detail. A Secret Service agent conducting a sweep at the sixth hole spotted Routh aiming the rifle, then fired at him. Routh dropped his weapon and fled the scene in a vehicle, but was later arrested on Interstate 95 in Martin County.
Although Routh did not fire the rifle, federal prosecutors proved he had the intent and had taken significant steps toward the assassination. He stalked Trump’s locations extensively and conducted reconnaissance at the golf course on multiple occasions. Routh was found guilty on all charges, including attempted assassination, assaulting a federal officer, and multiple firearms offenses, after his recent trial. He now faces a potential life sentence. Routh represented himself in court and only called three witnesses in his defense. The prosecution presented a robust case with 38 witnesses detailing his planning and actions leading up to the attempt.
Routh’s attempt was part of a broader plot starting as early as February 2024, with evidence suggesting attempts to acquire more powerful weapons and communications with unidentified accomplices. On the day of the attempt, Trump was quickly escorted off the course by the Secret Service after the incident, and no injuries were reported.
This event followed a prior assassination attempt earlier in 2024. Routh’s trial and conviction marked a significant legal conclusion to the case of the assassination attempt during Trump‘s 2024 presidential campaign.
He Fired His Lawyers—Then Tried to Play Lawyer
Routh insisted on representing himself after competency proceedings before U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon. The court allowed it, with standby counsel sitting by. In the end, he didn’t testify. His entire defense case: three witnesses—an expert who suggested his rifle was unreliable and two character witnesses. The prosecution, by contrast, called more then three dozen witnesses. Judge Cannon repeatedly steered him back to relevant issues, and the jury got the case after closing arguments in which Routh claimed there was no crime because the trigger was never pulled. The jury disagreed.
The Initial Charges
After the golf-course arrest, the Justice Department initially filed felon-in-possession and obliterated-serial-number charges in the Southern District of Florida. Within days, a magistrate judge ordered Routh detained without bond pending trial—a result DOJ later reiterated when he was federally indicted for attempted assassination. This time, Routh was held in pretrial detention. Earlier in his life, North Carolina judges had given probation or suspended sentences in separate felony cases; that leniency from years ago does not reflect how Florida handled him in 2024–2025.
Actions After the Verdict Was Read
After the verdict was read, finding Ryan Routh guilty on all counts related to the attempted assassination of President Trump, Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen. This incident occurred immediately following the jury’s guilty verdict at the federal trial.
Court officials intervened quickly to prevent more serious self-harm, and Routh was restrained and removed from the courtroom. This act was an apparent response to the overwhelming conviction and the looming life sentence he faces. Routh reportedly did not do enough damage to require medical attention. Another failed attempt on his part.
What Happens Next
With Tuesday’s verdict, Routh faces sentencing in federal court, where the attempted-assassination count alone can bring life. He also faces separate Florida state charges, including terrorism and attempted murder, which remain to be resolved. Whatever courtroom comes next, he’s not walking out the front door: the federal detention order keeps him in custody while the system moves to sentencing—and almost certainly through state proceedings after that.
The Takeaway
This case was never about a spur-of-the-moment lark. It was planning, gear, and position—stopped only because a Secret Service agent saw the barrel before Routh could act.
He tried to turn the trial into a one-man argument that intent evaporates if a trigger isn’t pulled.
The jury read the plan, looked at the rifle, listened to 38 witnesses, and answered with a unanimous “No.” Guilty on all counts.