Following the recent alleged attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life during a rally, we have compiled a list of similar incidents involving past US presidents and candidates. The United States has a long history of assassination attempts against its leaders and those vying for the presidency.
The attempted assassination of Donald Trump, who escaped with a bullet wound to his ear while speaking at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, adds to a long list of extreme political violence in American history.
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the first American president to experience an assassination attempt on January 30, 1835. As the seventh president was leaving the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., a man aimed a pistol at him, which misfired. Jackson confronted the gunman, Richard Lawrence, hitting him with his walking stick. Lawrence pulled out a second pistol, which also misfired, and was then detained by Jackson’s aides.
Abraham Lincoln
One of the most significant moments in American political history is the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865. Lincoln, the 16th president, was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth while watching a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. The assassination occurred shortly after the end of the Civil War, as Lincoln was working to reunite the nation. He died the following morning. Booth was later shot and killed while being apprehended.
James Garfield
James Garfield, the 20th president, was assassinated by Charles Guiteau, a disgruntled office seeker, on July 2, 1881, at the Baltimore and Potomac train station in Washington, D.C. Garfield was shot twice, and despite efforts by doctors, including Alexander Graham Bell, to locate the bullet, he died from his wounds in September 1881. Guiteau was found guilty and executed in 1882.
William McKinley
William McKinley, the 25th president, was shot on September 6, 1901, by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist, while attending a public event in Buffalo, New York. McKinley initially appeared to recover but succumbed to gangrene caused by his bullet wounds on September 14, 1901. Czolgosz was quickly tried, found guilty, and executed.
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt, while campaigning to return to the presidency in 1912, survived an assassination attempt in Milwaukee. He was shot by John Schrank but continued to deliver a speech before seeking medical attention. Roosevelt survived, and Schrank was confined to a mental institution for the rest of his life.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on February 15, 1933, in Miami, Florida. Giuseppe Zangara fired shots at Roosevelt, but all missed, injuring bystanders instead. Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak was fatally wounded. Zangara was convicted and executed.
Harry S. Truman
In 1950, while President Harry S. Truman was staying at Blair House in Washington, D.C., two Puerto Rican nationalists attempted to assassinate him. The plot was thwarted, but a White House policeman and one of the assailants were killed. Truman was unharmed.
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, by Lee Harvey Oswald. Kennedy was shot while riding in an open-top car during a motorcade. Oswald was later killed by Jack Ruby before he could stand trial.
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy, brother of John F. Kennedy, was assassinated on June 5, 1968, by Sirhan Sirhan in Los Angeles, shortly after winning the California Democratic primary. Kennedy died the next day, and Sirhan was sentenced to life in prison.
Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford faced two assassination attempts within weeks in 1975. Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme attempted to shoot him in Sacramento but was stopped before firing. Shortly after, Sara Jane Moore fired a shot at Ford in San Francisco, missing him. Both women were sentenced to prison.
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr. on March 30, 1981, in Washington, D.C. Reagan survived the attack, although his press secretary, James Brady, was permanently disabled. Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was confined to a mental hospital until 2016.
George W. Bush
In 2005, President George W. Bush was the target of a grenade attack during a rally in Tbilisi, Georgia. The grenade failed to explode, and Bush was unharmed. The assailant, Vladimir Arutyunian, was captured and sentenced to life in prison.
These incidents highlight the persistent threat of political violence in the United States, affecting leaders and candidates throughout its history.