The trial for the individual charged in connection with an incident on his golf course last year in West Palm Beach commenced Monday. The defendant was barred from questioning prospective jurors on their opinions regarding Gaza and the president’s endeavors to acquire Greenland.
The 59-year-old faces charges for what prosecutors describe as a thwarted plot to assassinate Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign in September. His arrest followed a Secret Service agent’s discovery of a man concealed with a rifle in the foliage of a golf course, merely a single hole away from where the president was engaged in play.
Acting as his own counsel in court Monday, Routh additionally attempted to inquire of jurors what their response would be upon encountering a turtle in the road while driving, asserting such a question would reveal insights into their character.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon had approved Routh’s self-representation during his initial court appearance the previous month. However, on Monday, she disallowed numerous questions he proposed, citing their “politically charged” nature.
Judge Cannon remarked on Routh’s suggested inquiries, stating, “They are entirely without merit and bear no pertinence to the jury selection procedure,” as reported by .
Routh faces accusations of attempting to assassinate a prominent presidential candidate, carrying a firearm to facilitate a violent crime, assaulting a federal agent, being in possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He entered a not guilty plea to each count.
Within court documents, Routh has repeatedly mentioned issuing challenges to Trump for physical and athletic contests.
In one submission, Routh penned, “A roung [sic] of golf with the racist pig, he wins he can execute me, I win I get his job,” with the ‘racist pig’ being a reference to the president.
He further stated in another document, “I think a beatdown session would be more fun and entertaining f or [sic] everyone; give me shackles and cuffs and let the old fat man give it his worst.”
Routh, identified as a construction worker residing in Hawaii and originally from North Carolina, stated on the opening day that two of his prospective witnesses would be unable to appear in court, one due to concerns about being deported to Costa Rica, his country of origin.
The proceedings for Routh are slated to last approximately one month at a courthouse in Fort Pierce, within the Southern District of Florida. Jury selection alone is anticipated to occupy three days.
Prosecutors contend that Routh commenced his planning following another prominent, albeit unsuccessful, assassination attempt on Trump earlier in his campaign. They further assert he amassed military-grade armaments, over a dozen disposable cell phones, and extensively investigated Trump’s itineraries and public appearances.
The prosecution also intends to present as evidence notes outlining Routh’s intentions, which he purportedly left with an associate in the months preceding the incident.
