USA TODAY National
FORT PIERCE, Florida – A panel of 12 jurors and four alternates has been chosen to weigh the evidence against Ryan Routh, the man accused of plotting to kill Donald Trump, when he was the Republican nominee, nearly a year ago at the president's golf club in West Palm Beach.
Routh, 59, is charged with attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and violating weapons laws in connection with the alleged assassination attempt on Sept. 15, 2024. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
The jurors, selected from a pool of 180, withstood two and a half days of questioning by attorneys and Routh, who is representing himself, before U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, about their ability to be impartial. They were chosen over others who said they felt biased due to their feelings toward Trump, had connections to key players in the case and had work constraints that made attending the trial impossible.
"And just the fact that I don't want to be here," said one man, dismissed after the first day of jury selection.
With the jury selected, the parties can proceed with jury instructions and opening statements, which Cannon scheduled to begin Sept. 11.
Dozens of jurors questioned in Trump assassination attempt trial
Seating a jury has been slow, and, with Routh acting as his own lawyer, sometimes unconventional. On the first day, Cannon barred Routh from asking potential jurors questions she deemed irrelevant and “politically charged,” including inquiries about Palestine, Trump’s interest in Greenland and what someone would do if they saw a turtle on the road.
The judge relied on prosecutors' questions to probe jurors for potential biases. She also reprimanded Routh for making "gratuitous" comments before the jury, including an apology for summoning them to court and a remark about the poor sleep he'd gotten while in custody.
By the second day, however, Routh appeared more at ease. He agreed to strike a juror who had travel complications, prompting Cannon to remark, “Good catch.” He also moved to excuse a woman who said she would follow only “God’s law,” a man who wrote on his questionnaire that “nobody is innocent" and another who took a photo of Routh despite rules against photography and cellphone use in the courtroom.
"I think he should be removed if he's breaking the rules already," Routh said. "I mean, really?"
Prosecutors disagreed. Cannon sided with Routh.
Still, prosecutors had greater success in narrowing the pool, moving to dismiss 48 people in a single morning session. Some were excused because they had connections to the case, including one who said he was present at the time of Routh’s arrest and another who reported receiving a voicemail from Routh before the alleged assassination attempt. Cannon interrupted him before he could relay what the voicemail said.
One man, a golf course superintendent, said he had once been offered a job by Trump after sharing breakfast with him and his wife, Melania, more than two decades earlier. He said he had "a lot of respect" for Trump and his wife, but declined the job.
He insisted he could remain impartial. Cannon declined to strike him despite Routh’s objection.
Before picking the jury, Cannon, who was appointed to the bench by Trump, urged those still in contention to put aside any personal feelings about the president. One woman who said she disliked Trump was removed from consideration, as was another who said, "I am MAGA, and I love my president."
When asked whether prospective jurors recalled news reports of Routh’s arrest, nearly everyone said they did. Most people assured the court that they could weigh the evidence fairly. Two men – one who said he'd spoken about the case extensively with friends, and another who said he'd discussed it in online forums – were dismissed.
Others pointed to health concerns when asked whether they could attend a trial that is expected to last through Oct. 1.
What happened at Trump's golf club?
Prosecutors say Routh spent months preparing to ambush Trump in September 2024, hiding in the tree line with a semiautomatic rifle until a Secret Service agent spotted its barrel pointed toward the sixth hole at Trump International Golf Club. Trump, not yet in the gunman's line of sight, was at the fifth hole.
The agent opened fire, prompting the suspected gunman to drop his rifle and run. Routh was arrested a short time later on Interstate 95, found with a handwritten list of venues where Trump was scheduled to appear, two additional license plates and six cellphones – one of which contained the Google search query: "how to travel from Palm Beach County to Mexico."
The incident came just months after an attempt on Trump's life during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Routh, who is representing himself although he has no legal training, has signaled that his defense rests largely on his character. He sought to call witnesses to vouch for his "gentleness" and has pushed to introduce evidence he says shows he is nonviolent by nature, including Eagle Scout commendations and community service projects.
Contributing: Christopher Cann, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jury chosen, opening statements set in Ryan Routh Trump assassination attempt trial
Reporting by Hannah Phillips, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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