Jury selection continues in trial of man accused of plotting to kill Trump

Jury selection is set to resume Tuesday in Fort Pierce, Florida, for the federal trial of Ryan Routh, charged with attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in September 2024.

Three groups of 60 potential jurors are participating in the jury selection process, where prosecutors and Routh, who is representing himself in the case, ask jurors a series of questions to determine whether they can fairly participate in the trial. The jury selection process kicked off on Monday and is expected to wrap up Wednesday. 

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Ultimately, the jury selection process will identify 12 jurors and four alternates for the trial. 

The first group of 60 appeared before prosecutors and Routh on Monday. His questions to potential jurors touched on the war in Gaza, the idea of the U.S. acquiring Greenland — a proposal once floated by the president — and how they might respond if they saw a turtle in the road while driving.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, dismissed Routh’s questions as “politically charged,” and said that they were unnecessary for jury selection. 

“None of the questions on your list have any bearing whatsoever. They were off base, sir, and have no relevance to jury selection,” Cannon said.

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Prosecutors claim that Routh, a 59-year-old construction worker, sought to kill Trump for weeks, and staked out a spot in shrubbery on Sept. 15, 2024, when a Secret Service agent detected him pointing a rifle at Trump while the then-presidential candidate played golf at his West Palm Beach country club. Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, but abandoned his weapon and the scene after the Secret Service agent opened fire. 

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Routh faces federal charges including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, as well as assaulting a federal officer and various gun violations. The charges carry a potential life sentence if the jury finds him guilty. Meanwhile, Routh has maintained he’s innocent and pleaded not guilty to all federal charges, in addition to state charges of terrorism and attempted murder. 

Opening statements for the trial are expected to kick off on Thursday, and prosecutors are poised to launch into their case immediately afterward. The court has allocated four weeks for Routh’s trial, and it is expected to wrap up no later than Oct. 3. 

Fox News’ Jamie Joseph, Heather Lacey and The Associated Press contributed to this report.