Ryan Routh’s trial begins for allegedly attempting to assassinate Trump. PC: Reuters
Opening arguments are set for Thursday in the trial of Ryan Routh, accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump when he golfed in South Florida last year as part of his re-election bid.
Routh is defending himself after US District Judge Aileen Cannon granted him permission to fire his court-appointed lawyers, who are still in the courtroom if required.
He has entered pleas of not guilty to trying to assassinate a prominent presidential candidate, assaulting a federal agent, and several gun crimes.
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Before, Routh entered hearings in handcuffs and a jail uniform, but with jurors around, he is unshackled and dressed in a sports coat and tie. Judge Cannon indicated that he can stand before jurors and witnesses at a podium but will not enjoy unrestricted mobility in the courtroom.
A 12-member jury with four alternates has been sworn in at Fort Pierce's federal courthouse. The 12 jurors consist of four white men, one Black man, six white women, and one Black woman. Alternates are two white men and two white women.
Prosecutors allege Routh, 59, made plans weeks in advance to murder Trump, taking a rifle aimed through the bushes at his West Palm Beach golf club on September 15, 2024. A Secret Service agent disrupted Trump's line of sight before Trump would have been visible, so Routh let the gun fall and ran away without shooting.
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This was nine weeks after a previous assault on Trump in Pennsylvania, where a shooter fired eight rounds of ammunition, grazing Trump's ear before he was halted by a sniper
Routh, a one-time North Carolina construction worker, moved to Hawaii and proclaimed himself a mercenary leader. Witnesses testified that he talked openly about violent plans.
He was arrested in 2002 for evading police with a machine gun and an explosive device. He also attempted to recruit fighters in the early days of the war in Ukraine.
Trump-appointed Judge Cannon earlier made headlines for dismissing a criminal case against Trump over classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
