Federal prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for Ryan Routh, the man convicted of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at a West Palm Beach golf club in 2024. Routh will be sentenced by US District Judge Aileen Cannon in Fort Pierce.

Prosecutors stated that Routh spent weeks planning the attack. On September 15, 2024, he aimed a rifle through the bushes while the then-Republican presidential candidate played golf at his West Palm Beach country club. During the trial, a Secret Service agent testified that he spotted Routh before Trump was in sight and opened fire. Routh dropped his weapon and fled without firing a single shot.

The courtroom fell into chaos in September after the jury returned a guilty verdict. Routh tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen and had to be dragged out by officers. His sentencing, originally set for December, was delayed after he decided to hire a lawyer.

Prosecutors are pushing for a life term, arguing that Routh refuses to take responsibility for his actions. His new attorney, Martin L. Roth, is asking for a lighter sentence. He is seeking 20 years, plus a mandatory seven-year term for a firearm conviction. This incident occurred just nine weeks after another assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.