A man accused of trying to kill President-elect Donald Trump near West Palm Beach will not go to trial until September 2025, a federal judge ruled this week.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, from Hawaii, had his trial date pushed back from February 2025 to September 8, 2025. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Routh’s lawyers asked for a delay, saying they needed more time to review evidence and decide if they should argue that he was not mentally competent during the attack.
Routh had 17 cellphones and other electronic devices, and there are hundreds of hours of body camera and surveillance footage that his lawyers need to go through. The judge agreed that more time was needed, but she decided a delay until September was reasonable.
The judge also set deadlines for any mental competency claims or requests for an insanity defense to be made by February 2025. She also ordered that any visits to the scene of the alleged attack must happen by the end of February.
Prosecutors say Routh planned for weeks to kill Trump. On September 15, 2024, he aimed a rifle through bushes while Trump was playing golf at his country club in West Palm Beach. However, a Secret Service agent spotted Routh before he could shoot. The agent fired at Routh, causing him to drop the weapon and run. Routh left behind a note explaining his intentions and was arrested shortly after.
Routh faces charges including attempted assassination, assaulting a federal officer, and multiple firearm offenses. If convicted, he could face life in prison. He is being held in Miami without bail.
This incident happened two months after a similar attempt on Trump’s life during a rally in Pennsylvania, where he was shot in the ear. The Secret Service has said it failed in some areas before that attack but successfully stopped the Florida attempt.