President Donald Trump on Tuesday expressed his gratitude that a jury convicted Ryan Wesley Routh, 59, of attempting to assassinate him last September at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
A jury convicted Routh on Tuesday on five federal counts, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, both of which carry maximum sentences of life in prison, according to the Justice Department. He was also found guilty of assaulting a federal officer, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
According to the Associated Press, Routh “tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen shortly after being found guilty,” and officers swooped in to usher him out of the courthouse.
Trump responded to Routh’s conviction at the United Nations General Assembly.
“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,” he added.
In a Truth Social post a short time earlier, Trump said that Routh “was an evil man with an evil intention, and they caught him.”
Routh, who is pro-Ukraine, had staked out a hole at the golf course with an AK-style rifle when a Secret Service agent, who was sweeping the hole ahead of Trump, spotted Routh and opened fire, per evidence presented at trial that the Justice Department cited. Routh fled the scene and was seen by a witness, which led to his arrest.
The DOJ notes:
A witness saw Routh running across the road from the golf course and getting into a black Nissan Xterra. Based on information provided by the witness, Routh was later apprehended heading northbound on I-95 by officers from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
A search of Routh’s Nissan Xterra found numerous mobile phones, and a list of flights out of the country in the afternoon and evening of Sept. 15, 2024 – the day of the attempted assassination – along with directions to Miami International Airport. Cell records for two of the cell phones found in the Nissan Xterra showed that on multiple days and times from Aug. 18 to Sept. 15, Routh’s cell phone accessed cell towers located near Trump International and the President’s residence at Mar-a-Lago.
NBC News reports Routh’s sentencing is set for December 18, 2025.
