Trump Assassination Attempt Trial Gets Off to a Strange Start as Suspect Clashes with Judge
The federal trial of Ryan Wesley Routh — accused of plotting to assassinate President Donald Trump last September — got off to a tense start Monday, with the defendant sparring with Judge Aileen Cannon during jury selection.
Routh, who faces life in prison if convicted, is representing himself in court. He stunned observers by attempting to ask potential jurors bizarre and unrelated questions, including their thoughts on the war in Gaza, whether the U.S. should acquire Greenland, and even how they would react if a turtle crossed the road while they were driving.
Judge Cannon, a Trump appointee, quickly shut down the antics.
“None of the questions on your list have any bearing whatsoever. They were off base, sir, and have no relevance to jury selection,” Cannon told Routh. When he pressed on with the turtle question, Cannon shot back: “What does that question have to do with anything?”
Routh argued that he was only trying to assess jurors’ “mindset,” but Cannon wasn’t buying it.
According to Fox News, prosecutors moved to strike 20 of the 60 potential jurors questioned Monday. Another 120 are set to appear throughout the week.
Routh, who has a criminal record, objected when one potential juror — a woman who supports restoring voting rights to felons — was flagged for removal.
“I would obviously like to keep this juror,” he said. “Restoring felon rights — I can certainly relate to that.”
Cannon kept the juror for now but raised concerns about her claim on a questionnaire that she gets her news from “television or my sugar momma.”
Two other jurors openly expressed sympathy for Routh. One admitted he doesn’t believe in the justice system, while another said he understood Routh’s actions. Both were dismissed without objection.
Throughout the proceedings, Routh made a show of apologizing to jurors for the inconvenience.
“I am Ryan Wesley Routh. I’m the defendant. I am sorry to bring you all in here. I am sorry for that,” he said, according to ABC News.
Routh was arrested on Sept. 15, 2024, after a Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of a rifle hidden in the bushes at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club. The discovery foiled what prosecutors describe as an attempted assassination of the sitting president.
According to the New York Post, Routh later offered a bizarre explanation: he wanted to play golf with Trump under the condition that if Trump won, “he can execute me,” but if Routh won, “I get his job.”
He has also made outlandish offers to be traded in a prisoner exchange with China, Hamas, Iran, or Russia.
The trial underscores both the ongoing threats President Trump faces and the chaotic circus surrounding a defendant who seems more interested in political theater than legal defense. But make no mistake: Routh is facing the full weight of federal prosecution for allegedly plotting to take the life of the duly elected President of the United States.