Ryan Routh enters not guilty plea for alleged assassination attempt on Donald Trump at golf venue
On Monday, Ryan Routh pleaded not guilty to accusations of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump by taking aim with a rifle outside a golf club where the 2024 Republican presidential candidate was playing.
At 58 years old, Routh is also dealing with two charges related to firearms, as authorities reported that he pointed an SKS rifle through a fence at Trump International Golf Club located in West Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15. A Secret Service agent saw the rifle and fired at Routh, forcing him to flee the scene.
When U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart inquired if Routh understood the allegations against him, he responded with “Yes, your honor.” His lawyer then officially entered the not-guilty plea on his behalf.
During the court session, Routh appeared in handcuffs and was dressed in a tan prison uniform.
Currently, Routh is being held in custody without the option for bail.
He was apprehended on a Florida highway while driving a black Nissan Xterra, which had mismatched license plates that did not belong to the vehicle that had left the golf club. FBI agents found two extra license plates, six cellphones, 12 pairs of gloves, a Hawaii driver’s license, a passport, and a handwritten list of dates in August, September, and October when Trump had been or was expected to be present.
According to prosecutors, Routh had been monitoring the Trump golf club for approximately a month. They discovered a note written months prior to his arrest, starting with “Dear World,” where he referred to his actions as “an assassination attempt.”
“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I failed you,” the letter stated. “I did my utmost and gave it all I had. Now it’s your responsibility to finish the task; I will offer $150,000 to anyone who can carry out the job.”
Routh’s legal team suggested, during a court appearance on September 23, that the letter might have been a means to attract attention and emphasized what they described as his commitment to promoting democracy in nations like Ukraine and Taiwan.
