Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Live updates from the federal trial of Ryan Routh are unfolding, with the defendant accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump in September 2024 at his Palm Beach golf club. Proceedings are closed to electronics and remain off the air, with reporters from Fox News Digital delivering firsthand accounts from the Federal Courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida.
On Thursday, Special Agent Robert Fercano served as the government’s first witness, revealing that Routh aimed a rifle directly at his face while lurking at Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach on September 15, 2024.
Fercano, now affiliated with Homeland Security Investigations and previously a Secret Service agent, explained how he was observing the sixth hole while Trump played on the fifth. During this time, he noted “several abnormalities on the fence line.”
“I observed what seemed to be a face, a rifle barrel, and plates resembling Humvee armor that I learned about during my time in the Marine Corps,” he quoted in testimony before Department of Justice prosecutor Maria Medetis Long.
Fercano attempted to make contact by calling out, “Hey sir.” Shortly after, he saw the rifle barrel begin to shift, heard a sound resembling a groan, and noticed Routh smiling.
Initially, Fercano suspected the individual might be a homeless person. However, he quickly determined the situation was serious as the rifle’s barrel tracked his movements. Moreover, the plates that were visible seemed to serve as makeshift bulletproof shielding.
Describing it as a potential ambush, Fercano testified that he withdrew his weapon and fired while retreating.
As the jury listened intently, they heard Fercano’s urgent radio calls. “Mogul on 5 green,” he reported at 1:24 p.m., signaling his colleagues that Trump was on the fifth hole. Just 11 seconds later, he communicated, “Shots fired, shots fired, shots fired,” further stating that it looked like an AK-47 style rifle aimed through the fence.
The prosecution proceeded to display the Chinese-made SKS rifle allegedly used by Routh. Wearing black gloves, Fercano illustrated how 1–2 inches of the barrel stuck out from the fence during the incident.
After a break at 1:05 p.m. ET, Routh is set to cross-examine Fercano.
Representing himself in this federal trial, Routh spoke to the jury for a mere seven minutes before Judge Aileen Cannon intervened, stating that his opening remarks were “absolutely unrelated to this case.”
Routh began his address with an apology: “Sorry to take your time and disrupt your lives…I’m so sorry.” He then veered into a lengthy monologue encompassing prehistoric human history and various world leaders.
He posed questions to the jurors: “What is intent? Why are we here? What is our intent? To love one another… Is this so difficult?” His discussion ventured to mention figures like Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Putin, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
After approximately four minutes of this discourse, Judge Cannon interrupted, dismissing the jury and cautioning Routh that his statements lacked any relevance to the case. When Routh continued along similar lines, he faced another interruption.
Judge Cannon remarked, “We have limited patience, and you don’t have unlimited license to go forward and make a mockery of the dignity of this courtroom.”
Upon the jury’s return, Routh displayed emotion, becoming choked up as he cited Henry Ford and the Wright brothers, ultimately declaring, “This case means absolutely nothing. A life has been lived to the fullest.” At that moment, the judge terminated his opening remarks and allowed the prosecutors to call their first witness.
Federal prosecutors officially charged Routh on Thursday, asserting to the jury that he came mere seconds away from assassinating Trump during a golf outing in West Palm Beach last year.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shipley relayed Routh’s own statements to the jury — phrases such as “Trump cannot be elected” and “I need Trump to go away.” Shipley depicted a “deadly serious” plot to eliminate a significant presidential candidate.
He claimed Routh traveled from Hawaii to the mainland armed with a Chinese military-grade assault rifle, 20 rounds of ammunition, 10 burner phones, three aliases, stolen license plates, along with a series of deceits from Honolulu to Florida.
Images shown to the jurors depicted the location at the golf course where prosecutors say Routh concealed himself for 10 hours with his firearm ready, safety disengaged, and aimed at a Secret Service agent assigned to clear the hole for Trump.
The agent, Fercano, recounted to the jury how he had spotted Routh’s face through the foliage, witnessing “the muzzle of a rifle pointed directly at his face” before responding with gunfire.
Shipley reiterated, “Had he not seen that rifle, the defendant would have succeeded in killing Trump.”
Routh has maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to federal charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate and assaulting a federal officer. Prosecutors claim he was wielding an AK-style rifle when Secret Service agents apprehended him near Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach in September 2024. This incident followed closely on the heels of another assassination attempt against Trump just months earlier in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Routh had 41 minutes allocated for his opening statements right after prosecutors concluded theirs on Thursday morning.
As this story continues to develop, further updates will be provided.
