Prosecutors Seek Life Sentence for Trump Assassination Attempt

Federal prosecutors in Florida are seeking a life sentence for Ryan Routh, a 59-year-old man convicted of attempting to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump during a golf outing in September 2024. Routh is scheduled to appear for sentencing on Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in Fort Pierce.

Routh was found guilty last September on five federal counts, including attempting to kill a major presidential candidate and three firearm possession charges, as well as one count of assaulting or impeding a federal officer. The jury delivered its verdict after a trial marked by unusual disruptions, including Routh attempting to stab himself with a pen in the courtroom immediately after the guilty finding. Marshals restrained him and removed him from the proceedings.

According to court filings, Routh had planned the attack for weeks, arriving in South Florida about a month before the incident. On September 15, 2024, he hid in thick shrubbery near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, armed with a semiautomatic rifle, two bags containing metal plates resembling body armor, and a video camera aimed at the course. He had waited nearly 10 hours when...