Former President Donald Trump was seen falling to the ground on Saturday, clutching his face amidst what appeared to be gunfire during a rally in Pennsylvania.
“Blood could be seen on his face as he was carried away by Secret Service,” reported eyewitnesses.
The incident sparked immediate concern and a flurry of live updates on the breaking news.
According to a CNN report from 2011 and a compilation by CNN’s research library detailing instances of political violence, multiple presidents, former presidents, and candidates for president have historically been targets of attacks in American history.
“In the pre-Civil War era, President Andrew Jackson faced an attempted assassination when he was shot at during a funeral in the Capitol,” the report noted, underscoring the enduring risks faced by leaders in the United States.
Similarly, former President Theodore Roosevelt, during his 1912 campaign bid to reclaim the presidency, was shot while en route to a speech in Milwaukee. Reflecting on the incident later, Roosevelt remarked that the bullet was slowed by a folded-up copy of his 50-page speech, which remained lodged in his body for the rest of his life. Despite the attempt on his life, he proceeded to deliver his speech as planned.
The historical thread continues with Franklin D. Roosevelt, who, as president-elect, narrowly escaped an assassin’s bullet in Miami in 1933. Although Roosevelt was unharmed, the assailant, Guiseppe Zangara, fatally wounded Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak and was subsequently executed by electrocution.
In 1950, Harry Truman, who assumed the presidency following Roosevelt’s death, was targeted by Puerto Rican nationalists who fired shots at the White House.
Alabama Governor George Wallace, known for his segregationist stance and multiple presidential campaigns, was left paralyzed from the waist down after being shot outside Washington, DC, during a campaign event in 1972. Wallace later underwent a political reevaluation influenced by his personal ordeal.
Gerald Ford, during his presidency in 1975, faced two assassination attempts in rapid succession. The first, by Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson, was thwarted before she could fire at Ford in Sacramento, California. Shortly thereafter, Sara Jane Moore attempted to shoot Ford in San Francisco but missed due to the intervention of a bystander.
Ronald Reagan, in 1981, was shot outside the Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC, immediately after delivering a speech. The attack also severely injured Reagan’s press secretary, James Brady, who later became a prominent advocate for gun control. The assailant, John Hinckley, spent years in a mental institution before being released from court supervision in 2022.
“All presidents and former presidents receive lifetime Secret Service protection due to ongoing threats,” emphasized security measures.
The list of assassination attempts and plots against presidents extends to recent decades. In 2011, an Idaho man was charged with attempting to assassinate President Barack Obama by firing shots at the White House. Similarly, a man was charged with attempting to assassinate then-President Bill Clinton in 1994 after shooting at the White House. A foiled plot in 1993 targeted former President George H.W. Bush in Kuwait, and in 2005, his son, then-President George W. Bush, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt involving a grenade during a visit to Georgia.
Reflecting on history, four U.S. presidents have tragically lost their lives to assassination. Abraham Lincoln, the first president to be assassinated, was shot in 1865 at Ford’s Theater in Washington, DC, by John Wilkes Booth, an actor and Southern sympathizer. Booth evaded capture initially but was later apprehended and killed.
President James Garfield, in July 1881, was shot at a train station in Washington, DC, by Charles Guiteau, a disgruntled former supporter suffering from mental illness. Garfield succumbed to his injuries months later.
William McKinley, in September 1901, fell victim to an anarchist’s bullet at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. Despite efforts to save him, McKinley passed away from his wounds.
John F. Kennedy, in a moment etched in national memory, was assassinated in November 1963 in Dallas by sniper Lee Harvey Oswald. Oswald, captured shortly after the shooting, was later killed by Jack Ruby.
Robert F. Kennedy, JFK’s brother and a senator from New York running for president in 1968, was tragically shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on the night of his California Democratic primary victory. His assailant, Sirhan Sirhan, remains incarcerated in California, his recent parole request having been denied.
Amidst these harrowing incidents, the resilience of American leadership and the ongoing security challenges they face underscore the gravity of protecting those who hold the nation’s highest office.
