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Jury Selection Opens in Ryan Routh Trial as He Defends Himself in Alleged Trump Assassination Attempt

Prosecutors plan to show jurors an SKS-style rifle alongside a 'Dear World' note that allegedly acknowledges an attempt to kill the president.

On Sept. 8, 2025, jury selection begins in the criminal trial of a man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at his Florida golf club during his reelection campaign. Ryan Routh, 59, faces charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and several weapons violations. He has pleaded not guilty.
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A police car drives past the Alto Lee Adams Sr. U.S. Courthouse as jury selection began in the trial of Ryan Routh, charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump while he played golf last year in South Florida, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, in Fort Pierce, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Overview

  • Jury selection began in Fort Pierce, where Judge Aileen Cannon rejected Routh’s proposed questions as irrelevant or politically charged, including queries about Gaza, Greenland and a turtle-in-the-road scenario.
  • Routh, 59, fired his public defenders and is representing himself with standby counsel present, having pleaded not guilty to five federal counts that carry a potential life sentence.
  • Prosecutors say a Secret Service agent spotted Routh hiding with a rifle near the sixth hole on Sept. 15, 2024, fired at him, and he fled without firing a shot before being arrested.
  • The government’s evidence list includes the SKS-style rifle, ammunition, ballistic plates, security footage, device data and a letter beginning, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I’m so sorry I failed you.”
  • Cannon has limited Routh’s courtroom tactics and witness plans, jury selection is slated to take about three days, and opening statements are scheduled to follow within a four-week trial window that may conclude sooner.