The man charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump while he played golf last year in South Florida stood before a group of potential jurors in a Florida courtroom on Monday and said he was “sorry for bringing you all in here”.

Ryan Routh is representing himself in the trial that began with jury selection on Monday in the federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida.

“Thank you for being here,” Routh told the first group of 60 jurors who were brought into the courtroom after US District Judge Aileen Cannon introduced prosecutors and Routh to the panel.

Cannon signed off on Routh’s request to represent himself but said court-appointed lawyers needed to remain as standby counsel.

During a hearing earlier to go over questions that would be asked of jurors, Routh was partially shackled. But he did not appear to be restrained when the first of three batches of 60 potential jurors were brought into the courtroom on Monday afternoon.

Cannon dismissed the questions Routh wanted to ask jurors as irrelevant earlier on Monday. They included asking jurors about their views on Gaza, the talk of the US acquiring Greenland and what they would do if they were driving and saw a turtle in the road.