Ryan Wesley Routh lies in wait with SKS rifle outside Trump golf course

On September 15, 2024, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii — a pro-Ukraine activist who had attempted to recruit foreign fighters — lies in wait in shrubbery outside the fence of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida for approximately 12 hours, armed with an SKS-style rifle. At 1:31 PM, Routh points the weapon through the fence approximately 400 yards from Trump, who is playing golf. A Secret Service agent spots the rifle barrel, fires four shots at Routh, who flees. Routh is apprehended in Martin County, Florida. He had left a 12-page note months earlier describing an assassination attempt and offering a bounty for Trump's killing. Federal prosecutors document that Routh was motivated by a desire to prevent Trump from winning the 2024 presidential election. On January 16, 2026, a federal jury convicts Routh of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate. On February 4, 2026, a federal judge sentences Routh to life in prison. The West Palm Beach attempt is the second assassination attempt on Trump in 64 days, following the July 13 Butler, Pennsylvania attack.