Ryan Routh Found GUILTY For Attempting To Assassinate President Trump At His Golf Course

The verdict is in.

Ryan Routh, the man who was accused of bringing a rifle to President Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course last year with the motive of assassinating Trump, has been found guilty on all charges.

In total, Routh was found guilty on five criminal counts, with the biggest being “the attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate.”

Ryan Routh has been found guilty on all charges

pic.twitter.com/q9g34WU3QO

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) September 23, 2025

The New York Post was one of the first outlets to report on the jury’s verdict and provided more details on the trial:

Ryan Routh, the madman who holed up in a sniper’s nest with an assault rifle at one of President Trump’s golf courses, was convicted Tuesday of trying to assassinate the then-GOP nominee.

The jurors took about two hours to find Routh, 59, guilty of five federal charges of attempted assassination, assault on a federal officer and gun crimes following a two week trial in Fort Pierce, Fla. court, LiveNow Fox reported.

He will face up to life in prison at his sentencing.

Routh — a construction worker, with no formal legal training — represented himself, putting on an amateur and bizarre defense in which he suggested the case should be settled by a golf match to the death.

He suggested that he and Trump face off on the green, and if Trump won, the president could execute Routh. If Routh won, he proposed, he would become president.

Such wild stunts led the judge to repeatedly slam Routh for running afoul of court rules.

Prosecutors said that Routh plotted for weeks before staking out the Trump International West Palm Beach golf course on Sept. 15, 2024 as Trump was golfing.

Routh was spotted by a Secret Service agent as he was camped out an a sniper’s nest on the edge of the course with an SKS rifle poking through the fence. The agent opened fire, prompting Routh to flee before he ever fired a shot.

The assassination attempt was the second in the span of nine weeks. Michael Thomas Crooks, 20, fired multiple rounds at Trump when he was campaigning in Butler, Pa. on July 13. One bullet grazed Trump’s ear. Crooks was killed by a Secret Service counter sniper.

ADVERTISEMENT

Watch Jack Posbiec break the news:

BREAKING: RYAN ROUTH FOUND GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS@JackPosobiec pic.twitter.com/bUIGV47Wyt

— Real America's Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) September 23, 2025

In July, Ryan Routh’s son was found guilty of possessing child p*rnography, per WFMY2 News:

Oran Routh, the son of the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump, was sentenced Friday morning to seven years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release for possessing child pornography, according to his attorney John Coalter.

Routh, 26, pleaded guilty in January to one count of possessing child pornography. Following his guilty plea, Routh filed a motion requesting release until sentencing, but U.S. District Judge William Osteen denied the request on Feb. 12, citing concerns raised during the hearing.

Routh was taken into custody that day and has remained jailed since.

His legal team appealed the detention order six days later, arguing he should have remained free on bond, though the appeal did not challenge his plea.
His sentencing, originally scheduled earlier this year, was delayed after his defense team filed a motion to withdraw, citing a breakdown in communication and lack of trust. Although the judge granted the motion, he warned that further delays would not be tolerated.

Routh was arrested after authorities searched his home during an investigation unrelated to child exploitation. During the search, investigators reportedly discovered child sexual abuse material, leading to the charges against him.

ADVERTISEMENT