Ryan Routh: Man charged with attempted assassination of Trump at Florida golf course

Ryan Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate former U.S. President Donald Trump, has been formally charged with attempted assassination of a political candidate.

The indictment, announced this week, stems from an incident in which Routh, 58, was found aiming a rifle through a fence at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course while the Republican candidate played a round.

“The Justice Department will not tolerate violence that strikes at the heart of our democracy, and we will find and hold accountable those who perpetrate it. This must stop,” Attorney General Merrick Garland stated, emphasizing the severity of the charges against Routh.

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Routh had already been facing gun-related charges prior to the new indictment. Prosecutors have revealed additional details pointing to what they described as a premeditated plan to kill Trump. In the months leading up to the incident, Routh allegedly left a note with an unidentified individual offering $150,000 to anyone who could “finish the job,” referencing a failed “assassination attempt on Donald Trump.” Prosecutors claim he had been tracking Trump’s appearances for months, with mobile data placing him near both the golf course and Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

On the day of the incident, a U.S. Secret Service agent conducting a routine security sweep of the course noticed Routh’s partially obscured face and rifle poking through the fence. The agent fired at Routh, who fled the scene but was arrested shortly after on a Florida highway. Authorities recovered a loaded SKS-style rifle, a scope, and a backpack filled with personal items, including a digital camera and food.

Although Routh did not fire any shots, officials have made clear that his presence and actions represented a significant threat. The incident comes just two months after Trump was shot and wounded in the ear during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania—an event that has raised concerns about security measures around the former president.

Routh has been remanded in custody and has not yet entered a plea. His attorneys sought his release on bond, but the request was denied. The case has been assigned to Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, raising interest due to her previous dismissal of a criminal case involving Trump’s handling of classified documents. If convicted, Routh faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The Secret Service, while acknowledging failings in the earlier Pennsylvania shooting, has maintained that security procedures in Florida functioned as intended to prevent an attack.