A man who allegedly tried to assassinate presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2024 on a golf course has been sentenced to life plus 84 months.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 59, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon for the Southern District of Florida after a federal jury convicted him on all five counts.
In September 2025, after a two-week trial in Fort Pierce, Florida, a jury found Routh guilty of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assault of a federal law enforcement officer, and multiple firearms offenses.
“Ryan Routh’s heinous attempted assassination of President Trump was not only an attack on our President — it was a direct assault against our entire democratic system," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “Thanks to our prosecutors in the National Security Division and the Southern District of Florida, Routh will never walk free again.”
According to evidence presented at trial, then-U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Robert Fercano was patrolling one hole ahead of President Trump at the Trump International Golf Club when he observed Routh pointing what appeared to be a rifle at him from a sniper’s hide concealed in a fence line bordering the golf course.
Fearing for his life and the life of Trump, Special Agent Fercano fired at Routh, who fled the scene.
“Routh’s plan to kill a major presidential candidate, President Donald Trump, was a despicable attack on our democratic system,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Thanks to the work of the FBI and our Justice Department partners, he will pay a high price for his actions. Today’s sentencing demonstrates the justice system will not tolerate such heinous attacks.”
Law enforcement officers later recovered a Norinco SKS rifle equipped with a scope, a loaded magazine containing 19 rounds of ammunition and one round in the chamber, steel armor plates, and a camera affixed to the fence and pointing at the sixth green of the golf course where President Trump was about to play golf.
Ryan Wesley Routh was sentenced today to life in federal prison plus 7 years for attempting to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and related violent and firearms offenses — a strong message that violent attacks on our democratic process will be met with the… pic.twitter.com/M1jNoZB1jw
— US Attorney Reding Quiñones (@USAO_SDFL) February 4, 2026
“Routh attempted to assassinate President Trump and thereby cast our Nation into what would have been one of its darkest periods,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Today’s sentence is a resounding rejection of political violence and a clear reminder that we resolve our differences through civil discourse, democratic elections, and lawful protest, not by force.”
A civilian witness reported seeing Routh run across a roadway and enter a black Nissan Xterra. Based on that information, Routh was apprehended while traveling northbound on I-95 by officers from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
“This life sentence reflects a fundamental truth: political violence is un-American and will never be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “An attempted assassination of a presidential candidate is an attack on our democratic process and the rule of law itself. This assassination attempt was stopped by the courage and professionalism of U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Robert Fercano, whose decisive actions protected lives and prevented a national tragedy. Today’s life sentence ensures the defendant will never again threaten public safety and sends a clear message that those who choose violence to advance their beliefs will face swift, certain, and decisive justice.”
A search of Routh’s vehicle revealed multiple mobile phones and a list of international flights along with directions to Miami International Airport. Cell phone records showed that between Aug. 18 and Sept. 15, 2024, Routh’s phone accessed cell towers located near Trump International Golf Club and the President’s residence at Mar-a-Lago on multiple occasions.
“Political violence is unacceptable in the United States, and this sentence is commensurate with the gravity of Routh’s actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office. “The investigation was immense and left no stone unturned. The FBI worked shoulder to shoulder with the Secret Service, ATF, the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, and the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. The FBI covered leads across the country and around the globe using all the tools and techniques at our disposal, including FBI Laboratory analysis, the Computer Analysis Response Team, and the Cellular Analysis Survey Team. I commend our law enforcement partners and investigative team for their tireless work, which led to today’s result.”
Testimony at trial also established that Routh had dropped off a box at a witness’s residence in April 2024 after making another trip to the area near the golf course. Inside the box was a handwritten letter addressed “Dear World,” in which Routh stated, among other things, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I am so sorry I failed you.”
FBI Miami investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office and Martin County Sheriff’s Office also assisted with this case.
Senior Counsel John C. Shipley, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher B. Browne, National Security Division Chief Maria K. Medetis Long, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Luce for the Southern District of Florida, and Trial Attorneys James Donnelly and John Cella of the Justice Department’s National Security Division Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case.
Editor’s Note: Democrats are fanning the flames and raising the rhetoric by comparing ICE to the Gestapo, fascists, and secret police.
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