Ryan Routh tries to stab self with pen after found guilty of trying to assassinate then Presidential nominee, Donald Trump while playing golf during following the closing of chaotic and diabolical trial proceedings including the suspect challenging Trump to a ‘game of golf to the death’.
A 59 year old man who tried to kill Trump at a West Palm Beach, Florida golf course last year, tried to stab himself with a pen after jurors found him guilty on all charges on Tuesday.
The dramatic scene unfolded as jurors were leaving the courtroom when Ryan Routh took a pen and started trying to jab himself in the neck.
A Florida jury found attempted Trump assassin Ryan Wesley Routh guilty on all counts
He reportedly attempted to stab himself with a pen in the courtroom as the guilty verdict was read pic.twitter.com/7OJQVoeREy
— HOT SPOT (@HotSpotHotSpot) September 23, 2025
Ryan Routh would be assassin found guilty of all 5 counts against him
Courtroom marshals dragged the convicted man out of the room as his daughter, Sara Routh, screamed at her father, ‘Dad I love you. Don’t do anything. I’ll get you out. He didn’t hurt anybody.’
‘Don’t do anything. I will get you out. What the f—, f—, he didn’t hurt anybody. This is not fair. This is all rigged – you guys are a–holes,’ the daughter was heard screaming.
The jury was still in the room at the time, FOX News reported.
The diabolical scene played out as, Routh was found guilty on all five counts, which included the attempted assassination of Trump, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer, felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
He pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and several firearm violations, which carry a potential life sentence.
Routh was brought back into the courtroom with shackles on, minutes after the outburst to complete proceedings. He wasn’t wearing the jacket and tie from earlier and his white shirt didn’t show signs of blood.
Prosecutors used the bulk of their closing arguments Tuesday to emphasize both the digital and forensic evidence presented at trial and what they described as Routh’s clear intent to assassinate Trump.
They noted the 17 ‘reconnaissance’ trips Routh allegedly made to Trump’s golf course, and what they described as his excessive stalking of Trump, prior to the Sept. 15, 2024 incident in question.
Ryan Wesley Routh. Not Black. Not trans. Not an immigrant. Not a Democrat. Ant-vax. History of Mental Illness and incidents with firearms. Had an assault rifle anyway. Was nowhere near Trump, didn’t fire any shots, Secret Service shot at him. pic.twitter.com/cqZrnpJnwy
— TheRealThelmaJohnson (@TheRealThelmaJ1) September 15, 2024
Prosecutors alleged planned political violence
Prosecutors also used bank records to tie Routh to the purchase of a SKS semi-automatic 7.62×39 caliber rifle that was recovered near Trump’s golf course.
A total of 38 witnesses testified for the prosecution before it rested its arguments Friday.
‘Today’s guilty verdict against would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh illustrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence,’ U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a social media post.
‘This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our president, but an affront to our very nation itself.’
Prosecutors said Routh plotted to kill Trump for weeks, including tracking his plane movements, before aiming a rifle at the president as he golfed at his West Palm Beach country club on Sept. 15, 2024.
Instead, Routh is accused of firing at a Secret Service agent who spotted him and fled before firing any bullets toward the president, an agent testified last week.
During the roughly two-week trial, Routh — a construction worker, with no formal legal training — represented himself and did not testify in his own defense.
He rested his own defense after just several hours Monday, and after questioning just three witness — two of whom were friends and colleagues, who acknowledged during cross-examination that they had not seen or spoken to Routh in years.
Trump in a post on Truth Social later Tuesday thanked the judge and the jury for their ‘professionalism, and patience,’ and thanked the Secret Service agent who stopped Routh for his ‘instinct and foresight.’
‘This was an evil man with an evil intention, and they caught him,’ the post read. ‘A very big moment for JUSTICE IN AMERICA!’
In earlier court filings, Routh asked why his case wasn’t death-penalty eligible and asked to be traded in a prisoner exchange with Hamas, Iran, China and Russia. He also challenged Trump to a game of golf to the death, proposing that if he lost he should be executed and if Trump lost Routh should get his job.
Routh’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 18.
