A federal judge in the United States has handed down a life sentence to a man convicted of plotting to assassinate President Donald Trump during a golf outing in Florida.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 59, was found guilty of attempting to kill Trump during an incident at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach in September 2024, just weeks before the US presidential election.
Court records showed that Routh had hidden in bushes near the golf course for nearly 10 hours, armed with a semi-automatic rifle, before being detected by the US Secret Service. An agent on duty spotted the barrel of the weapon protruding from foliage and immediately opened fire, prompting Routh to flee the scene. He was later arrested in the vicinity.
In a sentencing memorandum, US District Judge Aileen Cannon said Routh’s actions justified the harshest possible punishment.
“He took steps over the course of months to assass!nate a major Presidential candidate, demonstrated the will to kill anybody in the way, and has since expressed neither regret nor remorse to his victims,” she wrote.
During Wednesday’s sentencing, Judge Cannon further condemned the plot, describing it as deliberate and calculated.
“It’s clear to me that you engaged in a premeditated, calculated plot to take a human life,” she said.
Prosecutors argued that Routh’s actions went beyond an attack on one individual and were intended to destabilise the country’s democratic process. They pushed for a life sentence, citing the seriousness of the threat and the extensive planning involved.
Routh, who represented himself during the trial, asked the court to impose a 27-year prison sentence instead. He also denied intending to kill Trump, claiming in court filings that he was open to receiving psychological treatment while incarcerated.
In court, Routh made a series of unusual statements, referencing international conflicts and suggesting he should be exchanged for political prisoners overseas.
“I have given every drop of who I am every day for the betterment of my community and this nation,” he said.
Investigators revealed that Routh had arrived in South Florida about a month before the incident, living out of a truck stop while attempting to gather information about Trump’s movements and schedule.
The case drew heightened attention as it occurred barely two months after Trump survived a separate assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a bullet grazed his ear.
Judge Cannon ultimately ruled that Routh’s actions posed an extraordinary threat to public safety and national stability, concluding that a life sentence was necessary to reflect the gravity of the crime.
