A federal judge sentenced Ryan Wesley Routh to life in prison plus an additional seven years on Wednesday for his 2024 attempt to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at a Florida golf course. The sentencing marks the final chapter in a legal saga that underscored the heightened threats of political violence during the previous election cycle.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon handed down the maximum penalty in a Fort Pierce courtroom, roughly five months after a jury convicted Routh on five federal counts. The sentence includes life without parole for attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate and a consecutive seven-year term for a firearm offence.
"Your plot to kill was deliberate and evil," Judge Cannon said during the hearing, according to reports from The Associated Press. "You are not a peaceful man. You are not a good man."
The sentencing followed a contentious morning where Routh, 60, delivered a rambling 20-page statement that touched on human evolution and the American West before being cut off by the judge. Despite Routh’s claims that he "lived a good life," prosecutors successfully argued that his months-long preparation and lack of remorse necessitated the harshest possible punishment.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shipley told the court that American democracy cannot function when individuals attempt to "eliminate candidates" through violence. Prosecutors highlighted evidence that Routh spent weeks scouting the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, living out of his vehicle and setting up a sniper’s nest in the tree line.
Routh was spotted by a Secret Service agent on September 15, 2024, as the agent patrolled one hole ahead of Trump. The agent fired at Routh after seeing a rifle barrel poking through the shrubbery, causing Routh to flee without firing a shot. He was apprehended shortly after in a neighbouring county.
While Routh represented himself during his September 2025 trial—a proceeding marked by his attempt to stab himself with a pen upon hearing the guilty verdict—he was represented by attorney Martin L. Roth for the sentencing phase. Roth argued for a 27-year sentence, citing Routh’s age and mental health, but the judge remained unmoved by the defence’s characterisation of Routh as a "complex person" with a "good core".
In a statement following the conviction, Attorney General Pamela Bondi called the verdict a testament to the Department of Justice's commitment to punishing political violence. "This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our President, but an affront to our very nation itself," Bondi stated via the Department of Justice.