Man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump at Florida golf course gets life sentence

06-Feb-2026

.

A Florida man who plotted to assassinate Donald Trump was sentenced to life in prison on February 4, closing one of the most serious criminal cases linked to political violence in the run-up to the 2024 election.

The attempted assassination took place on September 15, 2024, at Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach.

Ryan Routh, 59, was convicted last September on five criminal counts, including attempted assassination, after a jury found he had waited for hours in bushes near a golf course where Trump was playing. He was sentenced by US District Judge Aileen Cannon in Fort Pierce, Florida.

"It’s clear to me that you engaged in a premeditated, calculated plot to take a human life," Cannon said while delivering the sentence.