Just a day after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the trial began for Ryan Routh, 59, who is charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump last year at Trump’s country club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Routh, representing himself, addressed the jury with a rant about Adolf Hitler, the war in Gaza and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine before Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon revoked his opportunity for an opening statement.
“I gave you one more chance and you continued to read what has no relevance for this case,” Cannon said.
The judge dismissed the jury twice from the courtroom in Fort Pierce, Florida, because of Routh’s tirades.
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Rifle in the bushes
Routh pleaded not guilty to charges of trying to assassinate a presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and several firearm violations. The prosecution claims Routh wanted to make sure Trump was not elected to a second term.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shipley told the jury that Routh said, “He [Trump] needs to go away.”
While Trump played golf at the Trump International Golf Club on Sept. 15, 2024, Routh allegedly hid out in brush just outside the club’s fence with the intent of killing kill the then-presidential candidate.
Secret Service agent Robert Fercano testified that he came within about 5 feet of the suspect before realizing he was armed. The agent spotted the muzzle of a rifle through the bushes.
“This plot was carefully crafted and deadly serious,” Shipley said. “Routh brought rifles, stolen license plates, multiple phones and a ‘trail of lies that extended all the way from Honolulu, Hawaii to West Palm Beach, Florida.”
The Secret Service opened fire, and the suspect ran without shooting. Trump was unharmed.
When Routh cross-examined Fercano, he asked if the agent had been harmed by the incident.
“I wasn’t physically harmed, but I was mentally harmed from you pointing a gun at me,” Fercano responded.
Fercano was one of two Secret Service agents who testified on Thursday, along with two FBI agents and a witness who said he followed Routh in his car as he fled to get his license plate number.
Though representing himself, Routh has no legal background and is not a lawyer. He is a construction worker.
Violence against US politicians
Nine weeks prior to Routh’s alleged attack, Trump survived another assassination attempt when a gunman opened fire during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The two attempts on Trump’s life are part of a spate of political violence that included the killings of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the shootings of Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.
Earlier this year, a man was charged with arson after allegedly setting fire to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home while the governor and his family slept inside. The violence continued this week with the killing of Kirk on a Utah college campus.
