A Florida man has been sentenced to life in prison for plotting to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course in September 2024, just two months before the presidential election.
Ryan Routh, 59, was convicted last September for attempting to kill Trump, then a presidential candidate. On Wednesday, Judge Aileen Cannon sentenced him to life plus seven years, stating the punishment was necessary “to protect the public from future crime” and telling Routh, “The evil is in you. Not in everybody else.”
Routh was arrested on September 15, 2024, after a Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of a rifle protruding from bushes near the golf course where Trump was playing. The agent opened fire, and Routh fled but was soon apprehended.
During his trial, Routh represented himself despite having no legal training. He made several unusual requests while in detention, including asking for strippers and a golf putting green, and sought to have jurors selected based on their views regarding Gaza and Trump’s interest in purchasing Greenland—all of which were denied.
The plot occurred two months after another assassination attempt on July 13, 2024, when a shooter grazed Trump’s ear at a Pennsylvania rally. That earlier attack, in which one rallygoer was killed, became a pivotal moment in Trump’s political comeback.
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