A federal judge on Thursday curtailed the opening statement of Ryan Routh, the 59-year-old man accused of lying in wait with a rifle at former President Donald Trump’s Florida golf course, after Routh veered into what the judge called irrelevant and disrespectful commentary that mentioned Adolf Hitler and other world leaders.
Routh, who is representing himself in the trial, spoke for about seven minutes before U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon interrupted him and dismissed the jury. "We have limited patience, and you don’t have unlimited license to go forward and make a mockery of the dignity of this courtroom," Cannon said before the jury was sent out of the courtroom. When the jury returned, Routh continued with additional tangents, at one point saying, "This case means absolutely nothing. A life has been lived to the fullest."
Thursday's proceedings marked the formal opening in the federal trial over the Sept. 15, 2024, incident at Trump National Doral in Miami, where prosecutors say Routh concealed himself in bushes near the sixth hole with a Chinese-made SKS rifle and fired at Secret Service agents and others after being discovered. The shooting followed an earlier assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, roughly nine weeks prior, authorities have said.
Special Agent Robert Fercano of the U.S. Secret Service testified that he spotted the barrel of a rifle protruding from the foliage and that the barrel tracked his movements. Fercano said he drew his weapon and fired at the barrel and the face of the man behind it. "I saw you in the bushes ... you smiled at me," Fercano told the defendant during testimony, according to live coverage of the proceedings.
Prosecutors say Routh fled the scene after being shot at and attempted to escape. Witness Tommy McGee told the court he was furniture-shopping nearby when he heard gunfire and saw a "disheveled, unkempt, and frantic man" run across the road and enter a vehicle. McGee said he photographed the car, later provided the image and the license plate number to police, and identified the man he saw as Routh. During testimony, McGee said Routh asked him whether he thought "Madea, Beyoncé, and Michelle Obama" would be "going to be mad" about what he had done; Judge Cannon instructed the jury to disregard that question.
Routh’s opening remarks included questions about intent and morality, references to Hitler, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Sudan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and later to Henry Ford and the Wright brothers. Cannon repeatedly rebuked Routh for straying from the legal matters at hand and for remarks she deemed a mockery of courtroom decorum.
Routh is charged in connection with the alleged attack at the golf course and faces federal counts that can carry significant prison terms if he is convicted. Prosecutors contend the evidence will show he planned and executed an ambush-style attack on Trump. Defense filings and defense counsel statements have been limited since Routh opted to represent himself at trial.
The trial is expected to feature testimony from law enforcement officers who responded to the scene, forensic evidence related to the rifle described in charging documents, and eyewitness accounts of the events on Sept. 15, 2024. Courtroom proceedings have drawn attention because of the high-profile target of the alleged attack and because the case follows another attempt on a major-party presidential candidate earlier in the 2024 campaign.
During Thursday’s session, the court proceedings also produced a sketch depicting Routh gesturing toward Judge Cannon in apparent frustration. The judge’s admonishment underscored her control over courtroom procedure and her intolerance for remarks she determined were not relevant to the jurors’ deliberations.
The trial will continue with scheduled testimony and arguments. No verdict was reached Thursday, and the court did not set a date for closing arguments. Defense strategy and whether Routh will continue to represent himself remain among the issues to be addressed as the case progresses.