Ryan Routh faces life sentence for Trump assassination attempt

RWRyan Wesley Routh, 59, was convicted on five federal counts on Sept. 23, 2025, for an attempted assassination at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on Sept. 15, 2024.

After the verdict, Routh tried to stab his neck with a pen before U.S. marshals subdued him; a family member shouted as he was removed.

Prosecutors called 38 witnesses over seven days. FBI testimony and phone records tied six cell phones to Routh and placed device pings near Mar-a-Lago and the golf club from Aug. 18 to Sept. 15, 2024.

Authorities recovered an SKS-style rifle with its serial number obliterated and other equipment prosecutors described as a sniper's hide. Prosecutors presented a handwritten letter addressed 'Dear World' that said, 'This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you,' and that offered $150,000.

Reports vary on the exact distance between Routh and Trump when the rifle was aimed. Court filings place Routh near the sixth hole; some reporting cites about 125 feet from the sixth green, while other accounts give a larger yardage range. The precise measurement is disputed across sources.

Sentencing is set for Dec. 18, 2025. The attempted-assassination and firearm-in-furtherance counts each carry a statutory maximum of life in prison; the other counts carry lower maximums (20, 15, 5 years).