The assassination attempt on former United States President Donald Trump on July 13, 2024, during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania has brought renewed attention to the long and tragic history of political violence targeting U.S. presidents, former presidents, and presidential candidates.
Trump narrowly avoided serious injury in a shooting incident at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which left one person dead and another seriously injured.
According to the BBC, Trump sustained a minor injury, a bullet graze to the ear, and was rushed to safety by the Secret Service.
He later released a statement thanking law enforcement for their swift response and extended condolences to the families of the victims.
Soon after, the Federal Bureau of Investigation named Thomas Matthew Crooks as the gunman who fired shots during the rally of former President Donald Trump.
According to the AFP, the FBI said the Crooks was a 20-year-old male from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, who was taken down immediately after the gunshots were fired.
Since the founding of the United States in 1776, there have been numerous instances of assassination attempts, some successful and others thwarted. Four sitting presidents have been killed by assassins:
– Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, was shot by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865, while attending a play in Washington, D.C. Lincoln died the next morning.
– James A. Garfield, the 20th president, was shot by Charles J. Guiteau at a train station in Washington on July 2, 1881. Garfield died in September of that year.
– William McKinley, the 25th president, was shot by Leon Czolgosz at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, on September 6, 1901. McKinley died eight days later.
– John F. Kennedy, the 35th president, was fatally shot by Lee Harvey Oswald while visiting Dallas in November 1963.
Additionally, several other presidents and presidential candidates have been targeted by assassins:
– Theodore Roosevelt, a former president and presidential candidate, was shot by John Schrank while campaigning in Milwaukee in October 1912. Roosevelt survived the attack.
– Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd president, was the target of an assassination attempt by Giuseppe Zangara in Miami in February 1933. Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak was killed in the attack.
– Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president, was the target of an assassination attempt by Puerto Rican nationalists in November 1950. A White House policeman was killed in the attack.
– Robert F. Kennedy, a presidential candidate, was shot and killed by Sirhan Sirhan in Los Angeles in June 1968.
– Gerald Ford, the 38th president, narrowly escaped two assassination attempts in September 1975.
– Ronald Reagan, the 40th president, was shot and wounded by John Hinckley Jr. in March 1981.
– Donal Trump, the 45th and former president, was shot at during a presidential campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024.
These tragic events underscore the risks and challenges faced by those who hold the highest office in the United States. Despite these threats, the resilience of the nation and its leaders in the face of adversity continues to endure, emphasizing the importance of vigilance and security in safeguarding the principles of democracy.
