THE man accused of taking aim at President Donald Trump in a terrifying assassination attempt has already stoked tensions with a judge in the week leading up to his trial.
Ryan Routh was slapped on the wrist for submitting bizarre requests calling for an in-court “beatdown” of the president after he fired his public defenders and opted to represent himself.
Ryan Routh, a contractor from North Carolina, has been accused of plotting to assassinate Donald Trump[/caption]
Prosecutors say that Routh was caught pointing a rifle toward Trump as he played golf in Florida[/caption]
In bizarre pre-trial filings, Routh requested to subpoena Trump[/caption]
The 59-year-old building contractor pleaded not guilty to all charges stemming from the incident, and jury selection for the trial began on Monday.
Prosecutors say that Routh hid in the bushes and pointed a rifle at Trump while the presidential candidate was golfing at his West Palm Beach club in Florida, in September 2025.
A Secret Service member spotted the gun and a man’s face and fired shots in his direction.
Soon after, a man identified as Routh was found zooming away from the scene on the highway.
This came just weeks after a deranged shooter nicked Trump in the ear while spraying bullets at a rally in North Carolina.
Routh was arrested on the interstate as he drove away from the scene.
Months before the incident, the suspect left a letter in a box at a friend’s house that said, “Dear World, This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you.”
If Routh is found guilty of all charges, he could face life in prison.
Despite the severity of the punishment, pretrial court filings appear to indicate that the suspect isn’t trying to make nice with US District Judge Aileen Cannon.
Routh asked to dismiss the federal public defenders assigned to him, and the judge permitted his request, but asked the attorneys to stay by for potential guidance.
So far, he’s made several last-minute requests to bring a bizarre cast of characters to the stand as witnesses – including Trump himself.
Routh asked to subpoena “that baboon Donald J Trump” in a motion, and said, “I think a beatdown session would be more fun and entertaining for everyone.”
He also suggested facing off in a golf match against the president, and wrote, “He wins he can execute me, I win I get his job.”
Cannon blasted the request as being nothing but “various insults and no pertinent facts” and denied the subpoena.
The suspect also requested several other witnesses, including a Yale professor who is an expert on fascism and some foreign students who have been detained by the Trump administration.
However, the judge deemed most of the witnesses “untimely and insufficient.”
Routh is a building contractor from North Carolina who was living in Hawaii when he was arrested.
Ryan Routh’s letter
The Justice Department released a chilling letter from would-be assassin Ryan Wesley Routh about his plan to kill Donald Trump.
“Dear world,” the note began.
“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster.
“It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job.
“Everyone across the globe from the youngest to the oldest know that Trump is unfit to be anything, much less a U.S. president.
“US presidents must at bare minimum embody the moral fabric that is America, and be kind, caring and selfless and always stand for humanity.
“Trump fails to understand any of [that],” the letter concluded.
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