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By Gabe Whisnant
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A man convicted of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump on a Florida golf course in 2024 was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison, with a federal prosecutor telling the court his actions were unacceptable “in this country or anywhere.”
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon imposed the sentence on Ryan Routh in a Fort Pierce courtroom that erupted into chaos last September when Routh attempted to stab himself shortly after jurors found him guilty on all counts.
“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 judge.
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Cannon sentenced Routh to life in prison without parole, plus seven years on a gun charge. His sentences for the remaining convictions will run concurrently.
Ryan Routh Trial: When Did It Begin?
Routh’s federal trial began earlier this year after prosecutors charged him in connection with the September 15, 2024, assassination attempt at Trump’s West Palm Beach country club. Cannon, who was nominated to the bench by Trump in 2020, presided over the proceedings.
Routh initially represented himself, a request Cannon approved last summer after determining he was competent to waive his right to an attorney. His former federal public defenders served as standby counsel and were present throughout the trial.
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Where Was the Assassination Attempt of Donald Trump?
Prosecutors said Routh spent weeks plotting to kill Trump before positioning himself in shrubbery along a fairway at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course as the Republican presidential candidate played golf.
At trial, a Secret Service agent testified that he spotted Routh before Trump came into view. Routh aimed a rifle at the agent, who opened fire. Routh dropped the weapon and fled without firing a shot.
Trump had been the target of another assassination attempt two months earlier at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Ryan Routh Assassination Attempt Motive: What We Know
Prosecutors said Routh harbored deep hostility toward Trump, documented in a large online footprint and a 2023 self-published book in which he encouraged Iran to assassinate the then-former president. At one point, Routh wrote that as a Trump voter, he bore partial responsibility for Trump’s election.
“Routh remains unrepentant for his crimes, never apologized for the lives he put at risk, and his life demonstrates near-total disregard for law,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo.
Routh also had multiple prior felony convictions, including possession of stolen goods, which prohibited him from legally possessing a firearm.
When Was Ryan Routh Convicted?
Jurors convicted Routh last year on all counts, including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, using a firearm in furtherance of a crime, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm as a felon and using a gun with a defaced serial number.
Shortly after the verdict was read, the courtroom descended into chaos when Routh attempted to stab himself, prompting a rapid response from court security.
Judge Previously Allowed Self-Representation
Routh’s behavior throughout the case repeatedly tested the court’s patience. Although he represented himself for most of the trial, he later asked Cannon to appoint an attorney for the sentencing phase.
In a written motion requesting counsel, Routh offered to trade his life in a prisoner swap for people he said were unjustly detained abroad and said an offer remained open for Trump to “take out his frustrations on my face.”
“Just a quarter of an inch further back and we all would not have to deal with all of this mess forwards, but I always fail at everything (par for the course),” Routh wrote.
In granting the request, Cannon criticized what she called the “disrespectful charade” of the filing, saying it made a mockery of the proceedings. Still, she said she wanted to err on the side of legal representation and allowed Routh to be represented by counsel at sentencing.
Defense Argues Routh Did Not Pull the Trigger
At sentencing, Routh’s attorney, Martin L. Roth, urged the court to impose a lesser sentence, arguing that Routh ultimately chose not to fire his weapon.
“At the moment of truth, he chose not to pull the trigger,” Roth said.
Cannon pushed back, citing Routh’s criminal history.
“He’s a complex person, I’ll give the court that, but he has a very good core,” Roth replied.
The defense asked for a sentence of 20 years, plus the mandatory seven years for the gun conviction.
“The defendant is two weeks short of being sixty years old,” Roth wrote in a court filing. “A just punishment would provide a sentence long enough to impose sufficient but not excessive punishment, and to allow defendant to experience freedom again as opposed to dying in prison.”
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Judge Cannon Rebukes Routh Before Issuing Sentence
Routh read from a rambling, 20-page statement during sentencing, prompting repeated interruptions from Cannon, who said much of what he was saying was irrelevant. She allowed him five more minutes to speak.
“I did everything I could and lived a good life,” Routh said before being cut off.
“Your plot to kill was deliberate and evil,” Cannon said. “You are not a peaceful man. You are not a good man.”
She then imposed the sentence.
What We Know About Ryan Routh’s Daughter, Sara Ellen
Sara Ellen Routh attended portions of her father’s trial and reacted emotionally after the guilty verdict was announced.
She has spoken publicly in interviews defending her father and disputing prosecutors’ portrayal of his actions, while criticizing elements of the legal process.
“I just want the world to know who my dad is for who he is, and not for what the media has painted him out to be,” she told news station WPBF in September 2025. She described a childhood shaped by community projects, including helping start a skate park in North Carolina, building docks for neighbors in Hawaii and creating hands-on projects for local children.
“He’s always helped everybody in his community,” she said.
Sara Routh attended court daily and said it has been painful to watch her father represent himself, adding that she believes he is “very intelligent” but was exhausted by jail conditions and limited access to paperwork.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
Update 2/4/26, 4:56 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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