Alleged Trump Would-be Assassin Prepares to Defend Himself at Trial
Routh to act as his own lawyer in Florida federal court after firing defense team, raising stakes in second alleged attempt on Trump’s life in two months.
Staff WriterSep 8, 2025, 11:57 AMThe trial of Ryan Routh, accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump, opened on Monday in Florida, where he will represent himself after dismissing his court-appointed lawyers.
Routh, a 58-year-old roofing contractor, has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Prosecutors allege he set up a “sniper’s nest” with a rifle and ballistic plates overlooking a golf course where Trump was playing on September 15, 2024.
A US Secret Service agent spotted Routh in the tree line and opened fire, forcing him to flee before he could shoot, court filings say. Trump was a few hundred yards away and would have reached the sixth green within minutes.
The case marks the second attempt on Trump’s life in two months. In July, a gunman wounded the former president in the ear during a campaign rally before being killed by security.
Routh, who has no legal training, plans to deliver opening and closing statements, cross-examine witnesses and present evidence on his own behalf. His two former lawyers will remain as standby counsel.
In a letter to US District Judge Aileen Cannon, who is presiding over the case, Routh wrote: “It was ridiculous from the outset to consider a random stranger that knows nothing of who I am to speak for me. Best I walk alone.”
Cannon, a Trump appointee, previously oversaw the case accusing Trump of mishandling classified documents. Legal experts say Routh’s decision to defend himself raises the risks he faces at trial.
“If his sole goal is to be acquitted, then his chances probably go down,” said Erica Hashimoto, a law professor at Georgetown University. “If he has something else that he’s trying to do by going to trial, then representing himself may be the only way to do that.”
Routh has used earlier court filings to propose a “beatdown session” with Trump, suggest a prisoner swap with China or Iran, and seek to call an expert on his own “narcissism.”
Prosecutors say they will introduce a letter Routh allegedly wrote months before the incident. Addressed “Dear World,” it stated: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I’m so sorry I failed you.”
They must prove both that Routh intended to kill Trump and that he took a substantial step toward carrying it out.
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