Would-Be Trump Assassin Ryan Routh Found Guilty, Attempts to Stab Himself in Court

The trial of Ryan Routh came to a dramatic end today. First the jury found him guilty on multiple counts.

Ryan Routh, the 59-year-old accused of attempting to kill Donald Trump as the former and future president played a round of golf on his Florida course last year – the second attempt on Trump’s life during his second campaign – has been found guilty on all charges against him…

Routh, who represented himself at his federal trial in Fort Pierce, Florida, was facing five charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Authorities say Routh created a “sniper’s nest” near the sixth green of Trump International Golf Club, but never fired a shot at Trump.

Jurors deliberated for under three hours before delivering the guilty verdict.

Moments later, Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck.

Shortly after the verdict was read, Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen but was wrestled out of the courtroom by court officers, NBC News reported. As he was being dragged away, his daughter Sara Routh, who was in the courtroom, shouted, “Dad I love you, don’t do anything. I’ll get you out. He didn’t hurt anybody,” according to The Associated Press.

Routh’s daughter then ran out of the courtroom, shouting at the media to stay away from her.

🚨 JUST IN: Attempted Trump assassin Ryan Routh’s daughter furious and emotional as she runs away from the media, after he was found guilty on all counts

“Get the F out of my face!” pic.twitter.com/Cd7tWgxrdk

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 23, 2025

Opening statements in Routh’s trial began the day after Charlie Kirk was assassinated. The trial itself was expected to be longer but Routh insisted on representing himself and that led to a very limited defense case which basically boiled down to the fact that he hadn’t actually shot anyone.

Earlier this year, he told the judge that he did not trust two court-appointed federal public defenders to represent him. Even so, they were kept on standby during the trial.

At one point on Monday, when the judge tried to explain certain rules of evidence, Mr. Routh responded, “I have no clue what that means.”

He offered little in the way of a defense and did not testify himself. He called three witnesses, a firearms expert and two character witnesses, all of whom testified on Monday morning, after seven days of prosecution testimony.

He told jurors during his closing argument on Tuesday that prosecutors had not proven “any intent” to kill.

“The opportunity was there for the defendant to shoot the president, and yet the trigger was never pulled,” said Mr. Routh, who wore a dark jacket and red-striped tie in court. “This human being does not have the capability to harm another human being.”

Prosecutors had a lot of evidence to present which showed that Routh had been staling Trump for weeks.

“Make no mistake: The defendant was going to kill Donald Trump,” Christopher B. Browne, one of the federal prosecutors, said during his closing argument. “The defendant was just one bullet away.”…

According to prosecutors, Mr. Routh lived out of a Nissan S.U.V. for weeks as he cased the golf course, searched online for Mr. Trump’s campaign schedule and watched his private plane at Palm Beach International Airport. Among the evidence the authorities obtained were six cellphones, several license plates and notes about possible escape flights to Mexico and Colombia.

Trump was on the 5th hole of the course. Routh was found by the Secret Service in a hiding spot near the 6th hole when an agent saw his rifle barrel poking out of the bushes.

What’s really striking about this is that this nutjob would have been hailed a hero if he’d succeeded. We’re incredibly lucky (twice over) that Trump was not killed last year. Trump responded to the verdict on Truth Social:

Congratulations to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and the entire DOJ team on the conviction, in Florida, of the person who attempted an assassination on my life. The trial was meticulously handled, and I would like to thank the Judge and Jury for their time, professionalism, and patience. This was an evil man with an evil intention, and they caught him. I would also like to thank the Secret Service, Department of Florida Law Enforcement, and the wonderful person who spotted him running from the site of the crime, and acted by following him, and getting all information on car type and license plate to the Sheriff’s Office, IMMEDIATELY, which led to his arrest and conviction. What incredible instinct and foresight this person had — A very big moment for JUSTICE IN AMERICA!

Routh’s sentencing is set to take place on Dec. 18. He’s facing a maximum sentence of life in prison.

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