Ryan Routh’s trial for his alleged assassination attempt on President Donald Trump got off to an unusual start Thursday after a federal judge cut his opening statement short for rambling off-topic.
After days of jury selection, the trial began with opening statements from both sides. Routh, despite not being a lawyer, opted to represent himself in the trial. However, his opening statement was paused and later stopped early by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon. Routh began his opening statement discussing the origin of humanity and international conflicts, among other topics, leading Cannon to give him a warning for delivering remarks that were off-topic from the case before the court.
“You do not have an unlimited license to go forward to make a mockery of the dignity of this courtroom,” Cannon told Routh in the courtroom, according to ABC News.
Cannon allowed Routh to resume his opening statement, which went on to discuss how jurors should look at the intent behind his alleged actions.
“This case means absolutely nothing. A life has been lived to the fullest,” Routh said, before Cannon stopped him again.
The bizarre start to Routh’s defense comes after a string of unusual actions from him in the case.
In July, Routh said in a letter to Cannon that he fired his lawyers and wished to represent himself in the trial
“It was ridiculous from the outset to consider a random stranger that knows nothing of who I am to speak for me. That was foolish and ignorant, and I am sorry — a childish mistake,” Routh said in the letter.
In the same letter, Routh also offered himself up for a prisoner swap for one of the adversaries of the United States.
“I had wished for a prisoner swap with Hamas, Iran for a female protester, or China for Jimmy Lai or one of the 40 others or to freeze to death in Siberia in exchange for a Ukrainian soldier so that I could die being of some use and save all this court mess, but no one acts,” Routh wrote. “Perhaps you have the power to trade me away.”
He argued that a prisoner swap would deliver Trump a win by giving “an American he hates to China, Iran or North Korea or wherever as a gesture of peace in exchange for an unjustly held democratic prisoner.”
Routh pitched another unusual proposal to the court earlier this month, suggesting a round of golf between him and Trump. Routh proposed that if Trump won, “he can execute me,” but if he won, he would get Trump’s job as president.
TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SUSPECT PROPOSES ROUND OF GOLF WITH PRESIDENT TO SETTLE CASE
The trial began a day after Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA founder and close Trump ally, was assassinated. Kirk, a prominent conservative activist, was fatally shot while speaking on the campus of a university in Utah.
Routh is facing five federal charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate. He pleaded not guilty.
