Jury selection begins in case of man who allegedly tried to kill Trump on golf course

The man accused of trying to kill Donald Trump on his golf course last year introduced himself to potential jurors Monday with an apology -- not for his alleged crimes, but because his criminal case might mean they spend the next three weeks in court with him.

"I am Ryan Wesley Routh. I'm the defendant," Routh told the 60 prospective jurors. "I am sorry to bring you all in here. I am sorry for that."

Routh, who is representing himself despite not being a lawyer and having limited legal experience, has pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges that risk sending him to prison for life, including attempting to kill a presidential candidate and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Over the course of three hours on Monday afternoon, Routh and federal prosecutors sought to whittle down the group by challenging them for cause over concerns they might not be able to impartial. Routh overall took a submissive approach to the process, yielding to prosecutors who asked to remove 20 of the jurors for reasons ranging from scheduling issues to one man bluntly saying he "doesn't want to be there."

Routh only objected to one of those jurors being removed -- a young woman who said on her questionnaire that she believes felons should have their voting rights restored.

"I would obviously like to keep this juror," said Routh, a 59-year-old construction worker from North Carolina and Hawaii who has an extensive criminal record. "I appreciate her thinking in all the questions. Restoring felon rights -- I can certainly relate to that."

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon said that, for now, she would keep the juror. However, she said she intends to press for more information on Tuesday, including the juror's response to a question that she gets her news from "television or my sugar momma.'

For most of the other jurors who were removed, Routh agreed with prosecutors or signaled that he would be fine with their removal.

"I think she'd be a good juror. Either way is fine with me," he meekly said for one juror. For a juror who is a full-time student, Routh remarked, "I would hate to set back his education." He allowed a juror who works in special education to be removed in part because he said he has "an honorable profession."

At least two of the jurors signaled that they would be sympathetic to Routh, including one who said he doesn't believe in the justice system, and another who said he understood the alleged assassin's actions. Both were removed for cause, with Routh declining to object to either man being removed.

Routh was shackled at the ankles in the court's morning session, but he was unchained for the afternoon session when the jury was present. He sat alone at defense table for most of the afternoon, sifting through a pile of jury questionnaires that overtook most of his table.

Judge Cannon, who in the morning barred Routh from asking most of his proposed jury questions due to them being "politically charged" and irrelevant, appeared more accommodating to him in the afternoon. But she rebuked him for failing to get through all 60 of the potential jurors' questionnaires during the court's lengthy morning break.

"It is your obligation to be prepared," she reminded him.

By the end of the day Monday, the parties had worked through 60 of the 180 potential jurors, with 21 removed for cause. Another 120 jurors are set to return to court Tuesday morning, and the judge said she hopes to proceed with preemptory strikes by Tuesday afternoon. Opening statements could happen as early as Wednesday afternoon or Thursday.

Routh also disclosed Monday that two of his proposed witnesses will likely not be able to testify. One witness has planned a trip to Vietnam during the trial, and the other fears being deported to his home country of Costa Rica if he testifies in Routh's defense, Routh claimed.

"He doesn't want to be deported. He likes being in America," Routh said. Neither the prosecutors nor Judge Cannon addressed the alleged risk of deportation.

Judge Cannon -- a Trump appointee who oversaw and dismissed one of the president's criminal cases -- is allowing Routh to defend himself but has imposed strict rules to prevent the trial from spiraling into what she called "calculated chaos."

Since taking over his own defense, Routh, according to court filings, has requested a "beatdown session" with Trump, asked to compete for his life in a round of golf with the president, and proposed being part of a prisoner swap instead of going to trial.

"I will be representing myself moving forward; It was ridiculous from the outset to consider a random stranger that knows nothing of who I am to speak for me," Routh wrote in a letter to Judge Cannon in July. "I am so sorry, I know this makes your life harder."

'I tried my best'

Prosecutors allege that Routh planned his attack for months, then hid in the bushes of Trump's Palm Beach golf course with a rifle in the predawn hours of Sept. 15.

With Trump just one hole away from Routh's position, a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle poking out of the tree line, according to prosecutors. Routh allegedly fled after the agent fired at him, and was later arrested after being stopped on a nearby interstate.

Routh faces five criminal charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, using a firearm in furtherance of a crime, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm as a felon, and using a gun with a defaced serial number.

To secure a conviction, prosecutors will need to prove that not only did Routh intend to kill Trump, but that he also took at least one "substantial step" to carry out his plan.

According to prosecutors, Routh set his plan into motion after the unsuccessful attempt on Trump's life in Butler, Pennsylvania, which Routh was not involved in. Prosecutors say Routh acquired a military-grade rifle, purchased more than a dozen burner phones, and researched Trump's movements and campaign events.

Prosecutors also allege that Routh tried to purchase anti-aircraft weapons the month before his alleged assassination attempt, coordinating with someone he believed was a Ukrainian with access to military weapons. He allegedly shared a photo of Trump's private plane, discussed the price of the weapon, and wrote, "I need equipment so that Trump cannot get elected."

In addition to ammunition and the weapon allegedly used by Routh, which federal agents plan to bring into the courtroom to show the jury, prosecutors plan to use Routh's own words against him during the trial.

According to court filings, Routh, in the months leading up to the assassination attempt, dropped off a box with a friend that included a note detailing his plans..

"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," the handwritten letter said. "He [the former president] ended relations with Iran like a child and now the Middle East has unraveled."

Routh has argued in court filings that prosecutors are misrepresenting the letter by only using a portion of it. and that the entire note is about "gentleness, peacefulness, and non-violent caring for humanity."

Prosecutors also allege that Routh expressed similar sentiments in a 2023 self-published book, in which he encouraged readers to "assassinate Trump" in part due to his foreign policy with Iran. They also allege that Routh boasted about his alleged crimes in emails from jail.

Prosecutors have disclosed more than 40 potential witnesses and hundreds of exhibits, including forensic evidence allegedly tying Routh to the weapon found at the crime scene.

'Character is the whole of this entire case'

After being represented by federal defense lawyers for months, Routh dismissed his lawyers earlier this year. Though his former lawyers will be present in court on standby, Routh will address the jury, question witnesses, and participate in the jury selection process.

In handwritten letters from prison while awaiting trial, Routh suggested his defense would center on his character as part of an effort to prove he lacked the intent to kill Trump.

"Character is the whole of this entire case -- there is nothing else," he wrote. "If one argues lack of intent then that totally hinges on character and character alone."

Judge Cannon has warned Routh against representing himself and threatened to sanction him or revoke his ability to maintain his pro se status if he engages in "vexatious, obstructionist, or obstreperous behavior."

Routh will wear business attire during the trial and be permitted to use a podium; however, he will not be allowed to roam the courtroom freely.

Prosecutors have expressed concern about Routh's antics.

Routh's self-representation has already created issues, according to Judge Cannon, who has sharply rebuked some of his tactics in court filings. She accused Routh of using the Federal Rules of Evidence to create "calculated chaos" and called one of his potential witnesses "a farce to bring about obviously ludicrous and absurd results in a court proceeding."

Routh's witness list included two dozen people, including a group of Palestinian activists and professors, his own son, a former girlfriend, and Trump himself.

In one court filing, Routh offered to drop his objections to most of the other evidence disputes if prosecutors allowed him to question Trump, whom he has described as a "mad fool." He has also requested "female strippers," asked for a putting green to prepare for a golf match with Trump, and proposed brawling with Trump.

"I think a beatdown session would be more fun and entertaining for everyone; give me shackles and cuffs and let the old fat man give it his worst," he wrote. "A round of golf with the rascist pig, he wins he can execute me, I win I get his job."

Routh family told investigators that while Routh had no diagnosed mental illness, he "fixated" on things, multiple sources briefed on the investigation told ABC News.

Judge Cannon has curtailed some of Routh's potential arguments, including trying to justify his actions, claiming he did not plan to follow through with the alleged assassination, and encouraging the jury to exercise its nullification power. She has also clamped down on his witness list, allowing him to call experts and a few friends who could testify to his character.

'Appearance of impartiality'

Opening statements in the trial are expected to take place as early as Wednesday afternoon, and the trial is scheduled to take 2-4 weeks.

Judge Cannon has opted to keep the jury anonymous and partially sequester them during the trial, with federal marshals picking up and dropping off the jurors from a confidential location daily.

Routh unsuccessfully tried to have Judge Cannon recuse herself from the case to prevent an "appearance of impartiality" stemming from her association with Trump, who appointed Cannon to her position.

Cannon oversaw the criminal case regarding Trump's retention of classified documents after leaving the White House 2021, and dismissed the case on a novel legal theory that was widely criticized by legal scholars. Trump has repeatedly commended Judge Cannon's actions overseeing his case -- calling her the "absolute model of what a judge should be" -- and one of Cannon's recent law clerks is now in a senior Department of Justice position.

"Although Mr. Trump is the alleged victim here, he previously served as President of the United States. While in office, he nominated Your Honor to her current position as a U.S. District Judge on the Southern District of Florida. Your Honor thus owes her lifetime appointment to the alleged victim in this criminal case," Routh's former lawyers argued, adding that Trump could still nominate her to a higher court.

Judge Cannon denied the request to recuse herself, concluding that Routh could not identity a legal basis that required recusal and pushing back against some of his claims.

"I have never spoken to or met former President Trump except in connection with his required presence at an official judicial proceeding, through counsel. I have no 'relationship to the alleged victim' in any reasonable sense of the phrase," she said. Ryan Routh, who is representing himself despite not being a lawyer and having limited legal experience, was barred by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon from asking most of his proposed jury questions due to them being "politically charged" and irrelevant.