Ryan Routh trial opens with bizarre jury questions and witness drama

The first day of jury selection kicked off Monday in Fort Pierce, Fla., for the high-profile federal trial of Ryan Routh, who allegedly sought to assassinate President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in September 2024.

Routh, who is representing himself, appeared at the federal courthouse on Monday morning wearing a gray suit and ankle shackles as the voir dire process began, with prosecutors and Routh questioning jurors to determine whether they can fairly participate in the trial. 

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

RYAN ROUTH TRIAL: JURY SELECTION BEGINS IN TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT CASE

During jury selection, Routh asked potential jurors their views on the war in Gaza, their position on the U.S. potentially acquiring Greenland as the president has floated, and how they would act if they were driving and spotted a turtle in the middle of the road.

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. When Routh attempted to speak in protest, Cannon warned him not to interrupt. 

Routh also said a former co-worker listed on his witness list, Eric Zuniga, would not testify on Routh’s behalf because Zuniga lives in Costa Rica and “likes his freedom and doesn’t want to get arrested or deported.” Routh then withdrew Zuniga’s name as a potential witness. 

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Routh also said another potential witness he’d listed would also unlikely to appear, due to scheduled travel to Vietnam during the trial. 

After the morning session wrapped up, Cannon asked if there was anything else, prompting Routh to say that he is “still in a situation at the jail where I can’t sleep.” 

“I don’t know if they could move me to general population or something,” Routh said. 

But Cannon once again shut Routh down, and said that the statement wasn’t appropriate at that time. 

Twenty-seven out of the 60 prospective jurors claimed that they had a hardship that would prevent them from participating on the jury for Routh’s case. Meanwhile, Routh claimed he had reservations about many potential jurors, but couldn’t identify specific concerns. 

Prosecutors claim that Routh 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 agents 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, although it is expected to wrap up sooner. 

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