A year ago today, Donald Trump survived a second apparent assassination attempt Kinsey Crowley, Hannah Phillips and Hana Khalyleh, USA TODAY NETWORKSeptember 15, 2025 at 4:06 AM 0 A year ago today, Donald Trump survived a second apparent assassination attempt A year ago, the nation was still reeling...
- - A year ago today, Donald Trump survived a second apparent assassination attempt
Kinsey Crowley, Hannah Phillips and Hana Khalyleh, USA TODAY NETWORKSeptember 15, 2025 at 4:06 AM
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A year ago today, Donald Trump survived a second apparent assassination attempt
A year ago, the nation was still reeling from an assassination attempt on Donald Trump's life when a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle poking through the fence of Trump's Florida golf course.
On Sept. 15, 2024, the agent opened fire at Ryan Routh, the man accused of plotting to kill Trump as he golfed at his club in West Palm Beach. About two months earlier, a bullet grazed Trump's ear as he spoke at a Pennsylvania campaign rally in a shooting that killed one spectator and injured two others.
Routh's criminal trial had just gotten underway last week when debates about political violence in America reached a fever pitch following the killing of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
Here is what to know about Trump's second assassination attempt one year later:
More: Who shot Trump in the ear, and what happened to him? What to know
Trial for suspect Ryan Routh off to an unusual start
Ryan Routh's case has veered toward the surreal from the start.
Found hidden in the shrubbery of Trump's golf course with a semiautomatic rifle and a bag of mini-sausages, the man accused of plotting to kill Trump has since fired his lawyers, requested strippers to his jail cell, suggested a fistfight with the president in lieu of a trial and proposed calling a former sexual partner to tell jurors about his gentle nature.
Opening statements began Sept. 11, the day after conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at a campus event in Utah. Routh, who is representing himself, gave an opening statement on the history of mankind and current geopolitical conflicts before the judge ultimately cut him off. He spoke for approximately five minutes in total.
"If not for (the Secret Service), Donald Trump would not be alive," Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shipley said at the start of a 45-minute statement to jurors.
Among the first few days of testimony, prosecution called one of their key witnesses: a therapist who was on his way to buy office furniture when he heard gunshots at Trump International Golf Club. Tommy McGee told jurors he couldn't get a picture of Routh fleeing the scene in time, but wrote down the license plate number for law enforcement.
"You're the man," Routh told McGee when given the chance to cross-examine him. Nearly every question and observation drew objections from prosecutors.
What happened during the September 2024 Trump assassination attempt?
On Sept. 15, 2024, authorities said a man stuck the barrel of a rifle through the fence at the edge of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while the then-presidential candidate was golfing. Secret Service agents on the course spotted the weapon and opened fire on the man, who fled.
At the scene of the apparent assassination attempt, officials found the rifle, a black backpack and a bag containing ceramic tiles, and a GoPro camera.
Martin County Sheriff's Office officials then stopped Routh about 41 miles from the golf course.
Who is Ryan Routh?
Ryan Routh, 59, is the suspect in the Sept. 15, 2024, attempted assassination on Donald Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign, at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
State voting records show Routh casting ballots in general and municipal elections going back many cycles, including 2008 and 2012 − though not in 2016, when Trump first ran. Records suggest he is not affiliated with a party.
The same records show Routh voted most recently in the March 2024 primary election in Guilford County, North Carolina. He voted Democratic.
Based on his social media posts, Routh seemed to be an impassioned supporter of Ukraine in its fight against a Russian invasion.
In spring 2022, Routh suggested in a series of X posts that he had traveled to Ukraine to fight on behalf of the beleaguered country. In one, he tweeted at President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's account, telling him, "I am an American coming to fight with you in Ukraine; I am flying into Krakow and will take any transport to Kyiv to meet you and fight to the death. … We must get every civilian in the world to come and join the fight; I will be the example. Attack Moscow now."
What was the suspect Ryan Routh charged with?
Routh faces federal charges including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and multiple firearm violations. According to prosecutors, Routh spent weeks plotting to kill Trump before positioning himself in shrubbery near the golf course with a rifle.
Routh has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges and has been detained ahead of trial, federal prison records show.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon previously approved Routh's request to represent himself at trial, though court-appointed attorneys remain available as standby counsel.
Contributing: Bart Jansen, Gianna Montesano, Olivia Franklin, USA TODAY and USA TODAY Network
Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at [email protected].
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump assassination attempt anniversary comes amid Ryan Routh trial
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