Jury reaches verdict for man accused of trying to assassinate Trump outside golf club
The trial against the Florida man accused of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump ended with a guilty verdict on all counts.
Ryan Wesley Routh was found guilty of trying to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and various firearm offenses. The 59-year-old had been a resident of Hawaii and was arrested on Sept. 15, 2024, just ahead of the 2024 election.
'It is not every case where the defendant writes his intent down on a piece of paper.'
The jury deliberated for just under three hours before delivering the verdict on Tuesday at the federal trial in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Routh had chosen to represent himself and called two character witnesses to testify on his behalf. He chose not to testify in his defense.
The man was caught outside the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on the day in question. Prosecutors alleged that he was hiding in the shrubbery near the sixth hole in anticipation of getting a clear shot of the president.
In his closing statement, prosecutor Christopher Browne cited a note reportedly found in Routh's car that outright proclaimed his intention to kill Trump.
"It is not every case where the defendant writes his intent down on a piece of paper," Browne said. "This is not a whodunit."
Prosecutors also presented other evidence from burner phones and a plan to escape after the assassination.
RELATED: Judge allows alleged would-be assassin’s sniper expert to testify at trial over DOJ objections
The golf club incident was the second assassination attempt after Trump was wounded in the ear during a shooting at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. One Trump supporter was shot and killed, while two others were injured.
Routh faces life in prison for the most serious charge.
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Stop Asking Me To ‘Unify’ With The Violent Left
There can be no unity between good and evil. Somebody has to win this thing.There Can Be No Peace Or Unity With A Violent, Unrepentant Left
Enough with the false, lazy rhetoric blaming 'both sides' for political violence in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder.Republican senator reminds Steve Deace about his 'friendly' subpoena of Kash Patel
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin has consistently fought for transparency and answers for the American people. Johnson shared his latest push for transparency with Steve Deace on the "Steve Deace Show" Tuesday as he and many others across the country are still hungry for answers.
Over a year has passed since Thomas Matthew Crooks fired shots at former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, nearly assassinating the incoming leader of the free world. Despite the time that has elapsed, the American people still know little about the assassination attempt or the would-be assassin himself.
Johnson decided to take matters into his own hands.
"An awful lot of what we do know, my investigatory staff, just by calling local law enforcement shortly after Butler ... were able to develop a pretty detailed timeline," Johnson told Deace. "We published a preliminary report, laid out all of the failures of the security plan of the Secret Service in Butler. Then, within two weeks, the FBI pretty well took over the investigation, and everybody clammed up."
"I assumed when President Trump won the election that he would be appointing people that would dig into this, investigate it, and release that to the public," Johnson added. "All of a sudden, the one-year anniversary is upon us, and nothing has really been released."
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Johnson decided to take matters into his own hands by issuing what he called a "friendly subpoena" to FBI Director Kash Patel for all documents related to the Butler assassination attempt.
"I issued what I consider a friendly subpoena to Kash Patel, just basically reminding him, hey, the public has a right to know what happened in Butler," Johnson said. "They have a right to know what happened in West Palm Beach there, in terms of the second assassination attempt. ... There are an awful lot of unanswered questions here that deserve answers."
Johnson's subpoena does not address the second assassination attempt.
RELATED: Tulsi Gabbard orders 'unprecedented' release of MLK assassination files
"I understand the challenges," Johnson added. "But all that being said, I would still think this would be the priority of President Trump's administration to get to the bottom of the assassination and make everything they found out public."
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Journalist at Trump assassination attempt says he got PTSD — from Trump supporters
A journalist is facing ridicule from online critics after he admitted that the anger of Trump supporters led to him taking "trauma leave" after the attempted assassination of the president in Butler, Pennsylvania.
CBS News correspondent Scott MacFarlane told Chuck Todd that he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and had to miss work because of what he experienced on July 13, 2024.
'You saw it in the eyes. The reaction of the people. They were coming for us.'
"For those of us there, it was such a horror, because you saw an emerging America," said MacFarlane.
"And it wasn't the shooting, Chuck. I got diagnosed with PTSD within 48 hours. I got put on trauma leave, not because, I think, of the shooting, but because — you saw it in the eyes, the reaction of the people. They were coming for us!" he continued.
"If he didn't jump out with his fist, they were going to come kill us!" he added, referring to the president.
"I know," Todd responded.
RELATED: Reporter who was 'body-slammed' says he was 'flabbergasted' by GOP congressman-elect's statement
CBS News Correspondent says he was “diagnosed with PTSD and put on trauma leave” after Trump’s assassination attempt because the crowd blamed liberal media: “They were going to kill us!”
These people are pathetic 😂 pic.twitter.com/J6gWNJEjUn
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) July 17, 2025
Video of MacFarlane's comments were posted on social media, where they quickly went viral.
Many ridiculed MacFarlane for focusing on his own trauma rather than the tragedy of the innocent bystander who was killed or the attempt on the president's life.
"He's the real hero!" joked Greg Gutfeld about MacFarlane on his late night show.
"He is," responded panelist Joe DeVito. "And I hope he got some other good medical advice from his gynecologist!"
A government accountability report released by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Saturday suggested that a campaign staffer compromised the president's safety in Butler when he or she made the Secret Service deviate from its security plan for the sake of optics.
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