Staff Reports
A federal jury in Fort Pierce delivered justice this week when it found 59-year-old Ryan Routh guilty on all five federal counts for the September 2024 plot to assassinate President Donald Trump. The swift unanimous verdict should reassure every American who still believes this nation will not tolerate political violence against its leaders.
As the verdict was read, Routh grabbed a pen and made a desperate, gruesome attempt to stab himself in the neck before U.S. marshals could intervene, an image that shocked the courtroom and underscored the dangerous instability of the man who came so close to committing a national crime. His daughter’s anguished cries filled the room as deputies restrained him and removed him from the gallery, a reminder that evil often arrives wrapped in family tragedy and public spectacle.
The facts the jury heard were stark: on September 15, 2024, Routh positioned himself along the fence line at a Trump golf course, trained a rifle toward the path where the president would walk, and fled after a Secret Service agent engaged him; he was stopped later the same day and charged for what prosecutors called a carefully planned attempt. The jury deliberated for only a few hours before returning guilty verdicts, signaling how clear the evidence was to ordinary Americans called to decide a matter of life and death.
Conservatives should be unapologetic in celebrating this outcome: the rule of law works when investigators do their jobs, law enforcement acts decisively, and jurors call evil by its name. This verdict is not a partisan win; it is a victory for every citizen who refuses to accept political assassination as part of normal civic life, and it should stiffen the spine of anyone tempted to normalize violence in the name of ideology.
That said, we must be honest about the corrosive climate that breeds such plots. For years, mainstream outlets and radical voices have trafficked in dehumanizing rhetoric that lowers the barriers to violence; while rhetoric is not the same as action, a culture that excuses intimidation and demonization is fertile ground for deranged actors. If conservatives are serious about protecting our country, we demand accountability for those who feed the fury and call out double standards when the media and the left write off threats as mere passion or political theater.
Routh now faces a lifetime behind bars when he is sentenced later this year, and every American should demand the harshest lawful consequences for anyone who tries to end a political life. We owe thanks to the Secret Service, the local deputies, and the prosecutors who saw this threat for what it was and shut it down — and we must never let our guard down again.
