When photos first emerged of Ryan Routh last September after he attempted to assassinate then-candidate Trump at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, you got the feeling he was mad as a hatter, off his rocker, nutty as a fruitcake. First, he tried to kill a U.S. presidential candidate, which tells you that not all his marbles were in the right place, but then his haunted look and weird writings brought the point home.

Now the 59-year-old is representing himself in court as his trial on numerous federal charges begins, including counts of trying to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and weapons violations.

The fact that Ryan Routh is representing himself in federal court where he is accused of attempting to kill President Trump is a bad idea.

He will be facing the best of the best in terms of prosecutors and Routh doesn't know his arse from a banjo (as my mom would say) when it… pic.twitter.com/7fPm1tc6r6

— Jennifer Coffindaffer (@CoffindafferFBI) September 8, 2025

He has filed motions for strippers and putting greens and has filled his filings with insults against Trump (this likely doesn't help his case). 

What do I expect in court? (See below) 

I hope he doesn't hurt anyone.... 

Look for an appeal if he is convicted. 

True to form, he made the proceedings almost farcical, and the judge was not amused:

A Florida judge Monday rejected a slew of bizarre and irrelevant questions that would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh wanted to ask potential jurors ahead of his trial — including how they would handle a turtle crossing the road while driving.

Routh, 59 — who is representing himself after firing his lawyers — wanted to ask the pool of possible jurors their opinions on pro-Palestinian student activism and Trump’s proposal for the US to take over Greenland.

And he told the judge he could gain insight about potential panelists’ values if he asked them what they would do if a turtle crossed the road while they were driving.

“They are all really off base and have no relevance to the jury selection process,” federal Judge Aileen Cannon said of Routh’s queries, according to ABC News.

If you recognized the name "Judge Aileen Cannon" in the above paragraph, points for you: she oversaw Special Counsel Jack Smith's failed classified documents case against Trump. 

Routh had already filed unhinged motions leading up to the trial, including one challenging Trump to a high-stakes golf match where death was a possibility:

Ryan Routh just filed an unhinged motion, in which he challenges Trump to a fight. "Give me shackles and cuffs and let the old fat man give it his worst."
Then he asks for strippers before challenging Trump to golf. "He wins he can execute me. I win I get his job." pic.twitter.com/kymSjPtrcd

— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) September 2, 2025

READ MORE: Second Attempted Trump Assassin Sends Lunatic Letter to Judge

'You Are Free to Assassinate Trump': What Alleged Trump Shooter Advocated in Rambling Manifesto

It looks like this is going to be one bizarre trial unless the judge can keep control in the courtroom. 

Although some of Routh’s antics are almost comical because they’re so bizarre, we’re also reminded that mental illness is anything but funny, and Routh and previous assassin-wannabe Thomas Matthew Crooks came very, very close to killing Trump. Changes have been made at the Secret Service, but we’re going to need them to perform a whole lot better than they did in Florida and Pennsylvania in order to avoid tragedy.

Because, sadly, there are guys like this out there. Let's hope he's put behind bars for a long time to come.

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