America and Assassinations! Two inevitable words that don’t seem to leave politicians and journalists who write about them alone. In recent news, the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump in Florida during a golf game last year, on September 15, forfeited his right to continue his opening statement in federal court on Thursday after he shifted to discuss Adolf Hitler and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
Ryan Routh represented himself in court and was repeatedly warned by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to keep his remarks relevant, but he was dismissed after failing to do so. This hearing took place after 59-year-old Routh tried to flee after the alleged assassination attempt and was later captured in Martin County.
According to HuffPost, although each side was granted 40 minutes for opening statements, Routh’s prepared remarks lasted less than 10 minutes before Judge Cannon ruled he had forfeited his turn. “I gave you one more chance, and you continued to read material irrelevant to this case,” Cannon said firmly. Routh, who questioned the witnesses, referred to himself in the third person throughout his cross-examinations, leading to several awkward exchanges.
He asked Secret Service Agent Robert Fercano, who had spotted him in the bushes, if he had been harmed. “I wasn’t physically harmed, but I was mentally harmed from you pointing a gun at me,” Fercano responded. Routh, who hailed from North Carolina and moved to Hawaii, has been politically active since 1989. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shipley told jurors that Routh was against Trump and wanted to prevent his re-election.
Ryan Routh, 59, has pleaded not guilty to 5 federal charges. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.https://t.co/RYm09kbeL5
— Globalnews.ca (@globalnews) September 11, 2025
Five witnesses testified Thursday, including two Secret Service agents, two FBI agents, and a civilian witness who followed Routh’s vehicle after the incident, which occurred at Trump’s West Palm Beach country club. One of those witnesses, Tommy McGee, said he was driving by the golf course when he heard a gunshot and saw a man sprinting out of the bushes, nearly hitting his car.
Ryan Routh reportedly made eye contact with McGee before swiftly jumping in his vehicle and fleeing. Unaware that Trump was the target, he chased the car and tried to note down the number. Routh had several criminal charges on his record, including a 2002 conviction for “possessing a weapon of mass death and destruction.”
This incident occurred just nine weeks after another attempt on Trump’s life during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a gunman fired eight rounds, one grazing Donald Trump’s ear, before being killed by a Secret Service sniper.
The gunman was reportedly 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who planned it. He also killed one audience member, firefighter Corey Comperatore, and critically injured two others. Several assassination attempts have been made on U.S. presidents throughout history, with some, like Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, tragically successful.
🚨 Assasination attempt on Donald Trump
— Trump is safe now, was shot in the right ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
— The shooter is dead, one rally attendee was killed.
— Bystander saw the shooter crawling on roof with rifle minutes before and tried to… pic.twitter.com/fL98uXVm81
— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 14, 2024
The update about Ryan Routh comes right after the tragic assassination of 31-year-old right-wing political activist, author, and media personality Charlie Kirk. He was shot and killed at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday night as he was addressing a crowd.
🟥 The assassination of Charlie Kirk was no coincidence — it was a carefully planned intelligence operation.
The method, location, and absence of police protection point to inside involvement.
👇👇 pic.twitter.com/l4VF7sMYyi— ļěńæħæmdi75 𓃭𓇋𓈖𓄿 🟢☀️🔴☀️🟡 (@avankurdstan75) September 11, 2025
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal published an editorial that called the incident “a dangerous moment for the country” and warned Trump to be careful and “rise above the madness” due to the nation’s volatile political state.
