Ryan Routh, the would-be killer of President Donald Trump, attempted to stab himself in the neck multiple times in a Florida courtroom Tuesday after a jury convicted him on all counts for attempting to assassinate Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course.
The dramatic scene unfolded as jurors were leaving the courtroom when Routh, 59, took the pen and started jabbing himself in the neck. U.S. marshals immediately restrained him and dragged him from the room.
Minutes later, marshals brought Routh back into the courtroom in shackles. His jacket and tie had been removed, but his white shirt showed no signs of blood and he appeared uninjured.
A courtroom illustrator captured the dramatic event —
A Courtroom Illustrator's depiction of Routh attempting to stab himself in the neck after his guilty verdict was read…. pic.twitter.com/91arLCcUj3
— Dani (@Daniell39173501) September 23, 2025
The jury took just two and a half hours to find Routh guilty on all five federal charges: attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. The first two charges carry maximum sentences of life in prison.
Routh, a construction worker from North Carolina who represented himself at trial, put on a strange defense that included suggesting the case be settled by a golf match to the death between him and Trump. He proposed that if Trump won, the president could execute him, and if Routh won, he would become president.
The assassination attempt occurred September 15, 2024, when Secret Service Agent Robert Fercano spotted Routh pointing an AK-style rifle from a sniper’s hide inside the fence at Trump International Golf Club. Fercano opened fire in fear for his life and Trump’s safety, causing Routh to flee before firing any shots.
Law enforcement found a loaded SKS-style rifle with scope, 19 additional rounds of ammunition with the safety off, steel armor plates, and a camera attached to the fence pointing toward the sixth hole green where Trump would have played.
Cell phone records showed Routh had stalked the area for weeks, accessing cell towers near Trump International and Mar-a-Lago from August 18 through September 15. When arrested on I-95, his vehicle contained multiple phones, a list of flights out of the country scheduled for that afternoon, and directions to Miami International Airport.
Trump responded to the conviction on Truth Social, calling Routh “an evil man with an evil intention.” He thanked Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and the Secret Service agent who stopped the attack.
“I’m very appreciative of the justice that was given and the way it was handled by Pam Bondi and Todd Blanche and everybody…and their team of people. It was really well handled, and it’s very important you can’t let things like that happen,” Trump said. “Nothing to do with me, but a president or even a person you can’t allow that to happen,” he added. “And so, justice was served, and we’ll see what happens. But I very much appreciate the judge, and jury, and everybody on that. It was so professionally handled, and it’s a great honor.”
Judge Aileen Cannon set Routh’s sentencing for December 18, 2025, where he faces up to life in prison.
The incident marked the second assassination attempt against Trump in nine weeks. On July 13, 2024, Michael Thomas Crooks fired multiple rounds at Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing the president’s ear before being killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper.