Attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Florida

Attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Florida
Attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Florida
Part of security incidents involving Donald Trump
	Backpack, GoPro, and SKS-pattern rifle in a concealed location
Location	26°40′00″N 80°5′21″W / 26.66667°N 80.08917°W; Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Date	September 15, 2024 ; 1:31 p.m. (UTC−04:00)
Target	Donald Trump
Attack type	Assassination attempt
Weapon	SKS semi-automatic 7.62x39 caliber rifle
Deaths	0
Injured	1 (indirectly)
Perpetrator	Ryan Wesley Routh
Motive	Prevent Trump from winning the 2024 presidential election
Charges	3 counts State: Attempted felony murder; Attempted first-degree murder; Terrorism; ;
Verdict	Guilty on all federal counts
Convictions	5 counts Federal: Attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate; Possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence; Assaulting a federal officer; Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; Possession of a firearm with the serial number removed; ;
Sentence	Federal:; Life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 7 years to run consecutively

On September 15, 2024, Donald Trump, then a former president of the United States and nominee of the Republican Party in the 2024 presidential election, survived an assassination attempt by 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, a roofer and Russo-Ukrainian war activist, while golfing at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Routh was motivated to assassinate Trump to prevent him from being elected. The incident occurred two months after Trump survived a previous assassination attempt while speaking at a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania.

That day, Routh, who had been planning the attack for months, was spotted hiding in shrubbery holding an SKS-style rifle just outside the fence of the golf course. After hiding there for nearly 12 hours, Routh pointed his weapon through the fence line, approximately 400 yards (370 m) away from Trump. A Secret Service agent noticed this and fired four rounds towards Routh, who then fled the scene and was later captured in Martin County via a traffic stop. Mia Rosalie Monreal, a 6-year-old girl who was going on a car ride with her family, received life-threatening injuries following a car crash caused by the traffic stop, leading to additional charges being filed against Routh on December 18.

Routh was indicted on a total of five federal charges and three state charges, all of which Routh pleaded not guilty to. Two conspirators who helped Routh obtain the rifle were also later arrested and charged. In July 2025, Routh chose to fire his public defenders and represent himself. His trial began on September 8, 2025. Two weeks later on September 23, he was found guilty on all five federal counts, including attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate. While the verdict was being read in the courtroom, Routh grabbed a pen and repeatedly attempted to stab himself in the neck, before being tackled by U.S. marshals. On February 4, 2026, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 7 years.