Ryan Routh, who is accused of trying to assassinate US president at one of his golf resorts, unexpectedly spoke about evolution and Hitler
The trial defense of the man accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump at one of his golf resorts in Florida in September 2024 got off to a shaky start on Thursday, after he was cut off by the judge minutes into his opening remarks.
Ryan Routh, 59, who is representing himself despite having no legal education, is charged with five crimes including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate. He has pleaded not guilty.
In an unusual and awkward start to the trial, Routh spoke for less than five minutes before Aileen Cannon, the US district judge, ended his opening statement. She interrupted him three times to remind him of proper procedure and reprimand him to not make a “mockery of the court” as he mused about unexpected topics including human evolution, global conflicts and Adolf Hitler, rather than mount a meaningful defense.
At one point, Cannon – a Trump appointee – excused the jury while she chastised him, before finally suspending his remarks entirely.
