Ryan Routh, 59, received a life prison sentence for attempting to kill Donald Trump in September 2024. The attack happened at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. A US Secret Service agent saw a rifle barrel in the bushes and shot at Routh, who ran away but was caught nearby. Judge Aileen Cannon said Routh’s actions "undeniably warrant a life sentence". She added, "[H]e took steps over the course of months to assassinate a major Presidential candidate, demonstrated the will to kill anybody in the way, and has since expressed neither regret nor remorse to his victims." Routh, who lived in Hawaii before his arrest and is from North Carolina, pleaded not guilty and chose to represent himself in court. He acted strangely during the trial, even challenging Trump to a golf game and mentioning Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Putin. After being found guilty, Routh tried to stab himself with a pen but was stopped by marshals. Although he never had a clear shot at Trump, agents recovered a semiautomatic rifle with a scope and extended magazine where Routh was hiding. They also found a list of places where Trump was expected and a note calling it "an assassination attempt." Prosecutor John Shipley said a "mountain of evidence" showed how close Routh came to success. This was the second attempt on Trump’s life in 2024, after a gunman fired shots at a rally in Pennsylvania in July, killing one and wounding others, including Trump. That shooter was killed at the scene.