Ryan Routh sentenced to life in prison in Trump 2024 assassination attempt in Florida

Ryan Routh, the man convicted of attempting to assassinate President Trump at his Florida golf course in 2024, has been sentenced to life in prison.

The sentence came down Wednesday during a federal court hearing. It was presided over by Judge Aileen Cannon, who dismissed the classified documents case against Mr. Trump last year.

Routh appeared at the hearing wearing a tan-colored prison uniform, with shackles around his ankles and handcuffed wrists. He remained stoic throughout the proceeding, which lasted about 90 minutes, mainly looking forward and at times conferring with his lawyer.

The prosecution reiterated the positions that led to Routh’s convictions during his trial, including the fact that he meticulously planned the attempt, lacked remorse and intended “to upend American democracy.”

A Florida jury in September found Routh, 59, guilty of all five felony charges that had been brought against him after the assassination attempt. They included one for attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, another for assaulting a federal officer and multiple counts of unlawful firearm possession. Most of his convictions carried maximum sentences of 15 years, or more, in prison.

Routh represented himself during the criminal trial, delivering a confusing and at times dramatic defense that culminated in him apparently trying to harm himself using a pen when the jury announced its verdict. He was appointed an attorney for the sentencing.

The attorney had sought a reduced sentence for Routh while prosecutors pushed for life in prison.

In a court filing ahead of Wednesday’s hearing, Routh’s attorney asked the judge for a sentence of 27 years based on Routh’s age, mental health status and the fact that he ineffectively defended his case. The filing said Routh “asserts that the jury was misled by his inability to effectively confront witnesses, use exhibits or affirmatively introduce impeachment evidence designed to prove his lack of intent to cause injury to anyone,” and noted that he objected to the classification of his actions as a “federal crime of terrorism.”

Prosecutors, meanwhile, had argued that Routh’s crimes “undeniably warrant a life sentence,” saying in a separate filing that “he took steps over the course of months to assassinate a major Presidential candidate, demonstrated the will to kill anybody in the way, and has since expressed neither regret nor remorse to his victims.”

Routh was arrested in September 2024 at Mr. Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club. A U.S. Secret Service agent who testified at Routh’s trial said that he saw Routh on the property before Mr. Trump, then the Republican presidential candidate. Routh aimed his rifle at the agent but dropped the weapon and fled without firing any shots once the agent opened fire in his direction, according to the testimony.