Man who tried to shoot Trump at Florida golf course gets life in prison

A man sentenced to life for attempting to assassinate Trump at a Florida golf course faces life in prison.

A man convicted of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump on a Florida golf course in 2024 was sentenced Wednesday (February 4, 2026) to life in prison after a federal prosecutor said his crime was unacceptable "in this country or anywhere."

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon pronounced Ryan Routh's fate in the same Fort Pierce courtroom that erupted into chaos in September when he tried to stab himself shortly after jurors found him guilty on all counts.

"American democracy does not work when individuals take it into their own hands to eliminate candidates. That's what this individual tried to do," Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shipley told the judge.

Defense attorney Martin L. Roth argued that "at the moment of truth, he chose not to pull the trigger."

The judge pushed back, noting Routh's history of arrests, to which Mr. Roth said, "He's a complex person, I'll give the court that, but he has a very good core."

Routh then read from a rambling, 20-page statement. Ms. Cannon broke in, said none of what he was saying was relevant and gave him five more minutes to talk.