Trump’s would-be assassin Ryan Routh’s wild reaction to guilty verdict

Donald Trump’s would-be assassin, Ryan Routh, began stabbing himself in the neck with a pen on Tuesday after being found guilty on all charges related to the September 2024 attempt on the then-candidate’s life.  The chaos unfolded in a Florida courtroom after jurors reached a unanimous verdict in the case.

Routh, 59, was caught by authorities during a manhunt in Palm Beach, Florida, last year after Secret Service agents spotted him in some bushes outside of one of Trump’s golf courses as the Republican played a round.

A gun and a camera were found at the scene where Routh fled.  After the verdict was read, Routh began jabbing at his neck with a pen.   His daughter, Sarah Ellen Routh, also reportedly began screaming expletives in the courtroom before crying and storming out of the building.

She was later filmed sobbing and running past cameras as she left. Routh’s son, Adam Routh, was also spotted leaving the courtroom after the guilty verdict.

Routh was found guilty of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, felony possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and assaulting a federal officer.

Routh faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. His sentencing is expected on December 18.  Trump congratulated Attorney General Pam Bondi and her department after the conviction.

‘The trial was meticulously handled, and I would like to thank the Judge and Jury for their time, professionalism, and patience,’ the president said in a statement.   ‘This was an evil man with an evil intention, and they caught him.’

Bondi said the verdict ‘illustrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence,’ in a post on X.  ‘This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our President, but an affront to our very nation itself.’

Reacting to the news during his trip to the United Nations, Trump told reporters, ‘You can’t let things like that happen – nothing to do with me but a president or even a person – you can’t allow that to happen.’

The attempt occurred on September 15, 2024, just nine weeks after Trump survived another attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Routh was spotted by a Secret Service agent who saw the barrel of his Chinese-made SKS rifle sticking out of the bushes near a hole at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.

Special Agent Robert Fercano testified that he drew his weapon and fired at the barrel and the face of a man behind it, after he saw the barrel track Trump’s movements.

He described the situation as a ‘textbook ambush scenario’ during the trial and spoke directly to Routh.  ‘I saw you in the bushes… you smiled at me,’ Fercano said during the trial.

Routh fled the scene after he was shot at and tried to escape the Secret Service.  A witness later saw the attempted assassin flee the scene and was able to photograph a vehicle Routh used that was later given to law enforcement.

Routh represented himself in his federal trial.  ‘What is intent? … Why are we here? What is our intent? To love one another … Is this so difficult?’ he asked at one point during his trial, according to live coverage of the court proceedings.

While defending himself, Routh referred to Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Putin, Sudan, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  Legal analysts expect Routh to appeal the verdict.