Updated Dec 23, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Trial delayed for man accused of Trump's second assassination attempt

Rebecca Falconer

This screengrab taken from AFPTV on September 16, 2024 shows Ryan Wesley Routh speaking during an interview at a rally to urge foreign leaders and international organisations to help provide humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and Ukrainian servicemen from Mariupol Kyiv — Ryan Wesley Routh speaking during a rally in Kyiv in April 2022. Screengrab: Nicolas Garcia/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images

A trial for the man accused of a second assassination attempt on President-elect Trump was delayed until next year by a federal judge in Florida on Monday.

The big picture: Ryan Wesley Routh's defense team sought a delay from the scheduled trial start of Feb. 10 to December 2025, but U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon ruled this was "excessive" and moved the trial to September.

Routh, 58, has pleaded not guilty to five counts in West Palm Beach, Florida, including the attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate.
He's accused of waiting for Trump at his Florida golf club for hours last September before a Secret Service agent spotted him pointing a rifle through a fence.

Driving the news: Routh's defense cited the need to review an "extraordinary volume of discovery" and "evaluate potential defenses," along with "logistical difficulties" associated with his detention in Miami, according to Cannon's order.

Cannon noted that Routh's lawyers have indicated "that mental health evaluations are ongoing to assess a potential insanity defense and competency evaluation."

Zoom out: Cannon also presided over Trump's federal classified documents case, which she dismissed in July citing the "unlawful appointment and funding of special counsel Jack Smith."

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

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Trial delayed for man accused of Trump's second assassination attempt

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