Ryan Wesley Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course in September 2024, has made an unusual request in recent court filings, challenging the president to a golf match as his federal trial gets underway in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Jury selection began Monday, September 8, 2025, in the high-profile case against the 59-year-old Hawaii resident who faces life in prison if convicted on the most serious charge of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate. The proceedings are taking place at the same federal courthouse where Trump previously faced classified documents charges.
In a typewritten motion filed September 2, Routh made inflammatory comments about Trump while objecting to the prosecution’s introduction of new evidence. He suggested a trade arrangement with prosecutors, writing that if they wanted to admit last-minute evidence, he would accept it in exchange for the ability to subpoena Trump as a witness. If that arrangement were rejected, Routh demanded access to other individuals on his subpoena list while proposing what he called a “beatdown session” between himself and the president would be more entertaining for everyone.
The defendant’s motion included bizarre requests for his housing arrangements during the trial, asking to be housed in a quiet room with access to documents, phone, visitation, email, a typewriter, female strippers, and “a putting green so I can work on my putting.” Routh wrote, “A round of golf with the racist pig, he wins he can execute me, I win I get his job.”
The unusual defendant has chosen to represent himself at trial, despite strong warnings from U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who previously dismissed the classified documents case against the president. Cannon told Routh that having a lawyer would be far better and ordered court-appointed legal counsel to remain on standby.
According to federal prosecutors, the incident occurred on September 15, 2024, while Trump was golfing at his West Palm Beach club during his presidential campaign. A Secret Service agent spotted a man’s face in the bushes at the property’s perimeter and saw the barrel of an SKS semiautomatic rifle with a scope poking through the fence. When the agent spotted the weapon and opened fire, the suspect fled without firing a shot.
Law enforcement apprehended Routh later that day on Interstate 95 after a witness reported seeing him running across the road and getting into a black Nissan Xterra. At the scene, FBI agents found the rifle with Routh’s fingerprints on electrical tape attached to the scope, along with documents containing a list of events where Trump had appeared or was expected to appear.
Perhaps most damning is a handwritten letter that prosecutors say was left with a civilian witness months before the incident. The note read in part that this was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, with Routh expressing regret that he had failed. Prosecutors indicated they plan to introduce portions of this confessional letter as evidence, though Cannon has not yet ruled on which portions will be allowed at trial.
Routh faces five federal charges including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He has pleaded not guilty to all federal charges, as well as separate state charges of terrorism and attempted murder.
The North Carolina native had moved to Hawaii prior to the alleged assassination attempt and has a previous criminal history. In 2002, he faced firearm charges including possession of what was described as a weapon of mass destruction during a traffic stop and standoff with police. Routh has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia, even reportedly traveling there in 2022, though Ukraine’s international legion confirmed he was never part of their military forces.
Jury selection is expected to continue through Wednesday, with attorneys questioning three sets of 60 prospective jurors to select 12 jurors and four alternates. Opening statements are scheduled to begin Thursday, with prosecutors planning to call witnesses from the FBI, Secret Service, and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. The court has blocked off four weeks for the trial, though attorneys expect it will take less time to complete.
This incident marked the second assassination attempt against Trump during the 2024 campaign season, occurring just weeks after a bullet grazed the president’s ear during a rally in Pennsylvania. Both incidents prompted intense scrutiny of the Secret Service and its ability to protect high-profile presidential candidates.
