A judge claimed that Ryan Routh was involved in a “premeditated” plot to kill President Trump months before the US presidential election.
Published February 4, 2026
A judge sentenced Ryan Routh to life in prison after he was found guilty of plotting to kill Donald Trump two months before the 2024 US presidential election.
Routh, 59, is accused of hiding in the bushes of a Florida golf course where President Trump was golfing with a semi-automatic rifle for nearly 10 hours before being discovered by Secret Service agents.
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“It is clear that you engaged in a premeditated and calculated conspiracy to take human life,” U.S. District Judge Cannon said in Wednesday’s ruling.
Routh, who served as his own defense attorney during the trial, had asked a judge appointed by President Trump to sentence him to 27 years in prison. Prosecutors said his crimes were aimed at “overturning American democracy” and recommended a life sentence.
The incident occurred on September 15, 2024 at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Nearly two months after Trump survived a more serious attempt on his life at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a gunman’s bullet grazed his ear.
Prosecutors said Routh arrived in South Florida about a month before the attack, lived at a truck stop, and was trying to gather information about President Trump’s movements and schedule.
In a series of bizarre statements, the shackled Mr. Rous talked about conflicts overseas and said he would like to be traded for political prisoners overseas.
“Every day, I have given every fiber of my being to the betterment of my community and this country,” he said.
Routh denied in court filings that he intended to kill President Trump and said he was open to psychological treatment while in prison.
