Ryan Wesley Routh to Stand Trial in September 2025 for Alleged Attempted Assassination of President-elect Donald Trump
Ryan Wesley Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump at his Florida golf course earlier this year, will face trial on September 8, 2025, as ruled by US District Judge Aileen Cannon on Monday.
Routh, 58, has pleaded not guilty in the case.
The trial date was postponed at the request of Routh’s lawyers, who cited the need for more time to assess the evidence and consider pursuing an insanity defense. The defense team aims to review the contents of Routh’s 17 cellphones and other electronic devices.
Routh’s legal counsel has also been provided with extensive police body camera footage and surveillance videos to analyze.
Considering the seriousness of the allegations, Judge Cannon agreed that a trial in September 2025 would not be an “unreasonable delay.”
Routh’s lawyers must make a decision on pursuing an insanity defense by early February, with any site visits related to the case to be completed by the end of that month.
If convicted of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, Routh could face life imprisonment. He also faces charges related to assaulting a federal officer and firearms violations.
Prosecutors claim Routh spent weeks plotting to assassinate Trump, 78, before he traveled to West Palm Beach, Fla., and hid in the bushes outside Trump International Golf Club on Sept. 15 – rifle in hand – as the president-elect played a round of golf.
Routh was spotted by a Secret Service agent, who opened fire on him but missed every shot, according to a House assassination task force report released earlier this month.
Routh dropped his rifle after being shot at and fled the scene unharmed. He was apprehended by local law enforcement on a Florida interstate about 40 minutes later.
The assassination attempt came two months after Trump was hit in the ear by a sniper’s bullet during a campaign rally in Butler, Pa.
