Gaza, Greenland and turtles: Accused in Trump assassination attempt grills jurors with strange questions - What happened inside court?

The first day of jury selection for the high-profile federal trial of Ryan Routh, who is accused of trying to assassinate US President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club last September, began on Monday with a chaotic start.

Routh, the self-represented defendant, was wearing a grey suit and ankle shackles, questioned potential jurors about their views on the war in Gaza, whether the US should acquire Greenland, and even how they would react if they saw a turtle in the road.

US district judge Aileen Cannon, presiding over the case, swiftly cut him off.


"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, warning Routh not to interrupt.

Witnesses bow out

Routh told the court that at least two of his potential witnesses had backed out. One, a former co-worker living in Costa Rica, was unwilling to appear because he "likes his freedom and doesn't want to get arrested or deported." Another was unavailable because of scheduled travel to Vietnam during the trial.

Routh ultimately dropped both names from his witness list.

Complaints from jail

Before adjourning the morning session, Routh tried to raise concerns about his jail conditions, saying he couldn't sleep and wanted to be moved to general population. Cannon again shut him down, reminding him the comment was "not appropriate at this time."

High stakes

Routh faces federal charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and multiple firearms violations. A conviction could put him behind bars for life.

He has pleaded not guilty to all federal counts. The jury selection process is expected to seat 12 jurors and four alternates before opening arguments begin later this week.