Self-represented defendant plans to call three witnesses as Trump plot case nears closing arguments

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Ryan Routh, who is representing himself in the federal case accusing him of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump, plans to call only three witnesses as prosecutors rested their case Friday after seven days of testimony stemming from the West Palm Beach golf course incident on Sept. 15, 2024.

Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida rested their case after presenting testimony from 38 witnesses over roughly a week, seeking to prove that Routh spent weeks plotting to kill Trump and that he attempted to shoot the candidate as Trump played golf at his West Palm Beach club. Routh, who has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and several firearms violations, told U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon that he would need about half a day to present his defense and that he plans to call a firearms expert and two character witnesses. It remains unclear whether he will testify in his own defense. Cannon granted him the right to represent himself after two hearings in July, and his former defense lawyers have served as standby counsel and have been present during the trial.

Earlier Friday, court records show, Routh texted his three adult children and his fiancée separately to tell them he loved them, according to cell phone records, shortly before a U.S. Secret Service agent identified him as the man who aimed a rifle at the agent. The agent testified that he fired back, causing Routh to drop the weapon and flee the area without firing a shot at Trump.

Routh then spoke with his fiancée from the Palm Beach County jail, telling her about his arrest; she told prosecutors that she already knew about the arrest when she received the call. In the courtroom, the defense has signaled that it will focus on whether Routh is competent to stand trial and whether the charges meet the threshold for violent crime under federal law, while the prosecution has sought to show premeditation and the intent to harm a presidential candidate.

As the trial progressed, jurors heard testimony about the sequence of events on the golf course, including a Secret Service agent's identification of Routh and corroborating testimony from a witness who saw a person fleeing the area after gunshots were heard. The witness, who helped identify the suspect, was flown by helicopter to a nearby Interstate highway to aid in the arrest, according to investigators.

The background of the man accused in the case has drawn attention from multiple angles. Routh is described by authorities as a North Carolina construction worker who had moved in recent years to Hawaii. He has described himself publicly as a mercenary leader who sought to involve himself in distant conflicts and who spoke of dangerous plans to insert himself into global events. In the early days of Russia's war in Ukraine, he allegedly sought to recruit fighters from Afghanistan, Moldova and Taiwan. In Greensboro, North Carolina, he was arrested in 2002 for eluding a traffic stop and barricading himself with a fully automatic machine gun and a so-called weapon of mass destruction—later determined to be an explosive with a 10-inch fuse, police said. In 2010, authorities searched a warehouse he owned and found more than 100 stolen items, from power tools to kayaks and spa tubs; in both felony cases, judges gave Routh probation or suspended sentences. He also faces state charges of terrorism and attempted murder in addition to the federal counts.

The case also echoes a broader security concern surrounding political campaigns. Nine weeks before the Florida incident, Trump survived another attempt on his life while campaigning in Pennsylvania, when a gunman fired eight shots, one grazing Trump’s ear; that gunman was killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper. Prosecutors in the Florida case have told jurors that the two incidents illustrate a pattern of threats to a former president during a high-profile campaign.

With prosecutors having rested, Cannon told the defense and prosecution to prepare for closing arguments on Tuesday, with each side allotted one hour and 45 minutes. If the jury reaches a verdict, it will begin deliberations after closing arguments. The proceedings have moved at a faster pace than anticipated, given the anticipated length of a high-profile post-incident trial and the complexity of the charges involved.

The Florida trial is a high-stakes civil-military style confrontation between a defendant asserting self-representation rights and a federal government seeking to ensure public safety and accountability for a plot to target a presidential candidate. The outcome will not only determine Routh's fate but also shape ongoing debates about security protocols at political events and the extent to which defendants may proceed without legal counsel when they intensely challenge standard courtroom procedures.