Trump Assassination Attempt Trial Set to Begin Soon

FORT PIERCE, Florida – The trial for the man accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump is set to begin on September 8. The suspect, identified as 59-year-old Michael Routh, allegedly tried to carry out the assassination while Trump was golfing at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15, 2024.

According to court documents, Secret Service officers spotted a rifle poking through a fence at the golf course and opened fire on Routh as he fled the scene. Routh has chosen to represent himself in this high-profile case and has made unusual requests, including asking for “strippers, a putting green, and an 18-hole showdown” with Trump.

In a motion filed on September 2, Routh expressed outrage over the prosecution’s attempt to introduce new evidence just days before the trial, calling it “absurd.” He proposed a deal to accept the evidence if he could subpoena Trump as a witness, stating, “If you would like to trade admitting the evidence for my subpoena of that baboon Donald J Trump, bring that idiot on; it is a deal.”

Routh’s demand also included a request for housing during the trial, asking to be placed in a “quiet room” with access to various amenities, including a golf putting green. In his motion, he made light of the situation, joking about a golf match with Trump: “A round of golf with the racist pig, he wins he can execute me, I win I get his job,” Routh wrote.

Federal prosecutors claim that Routh plotted for weeks to kill Trump, positioning himself with a rifle near the golf course’s shrubbery. He faces multiple charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and various firearm violations. The incident occurred just months after a bullet grazed Trump’s ear in a separate incident.

Routh remains detained before the trial, and U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has allowed him to represent himself, although court-appointed attorneys are available as standby counsel. His trial is expected to attract significant media attention as it involves a former president and serious criminal allegations.