October 14th 2024.
Donald Trump, the current president of the United States, has unfortunately joined a long list of 14 presidents and candidates who have been targeted in assassination attempts. In fact, just recently, police believe they may have stopped a third attempt on Trump's life when they arrested a man with loaded guns at one of his rallies in California.
The suspect, Vern Miller, was apprehended by police and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco stated in a press conference that his deputies may have prevented another assassination attempt on the former president's life. This is not the first time that Trump has been a target. Last month, a man named Ryan Wesley Routh was charged with attempting to assassinate Trump after Secret Service agents found him with a rifle near the president's golf course in Palm Beach. And in July, Trump was shot at during a rally in Pennsylvania by a lone gunman named Thomas Matthew Crooks. Luckily, the Secret Service was able to take down the shooter before he could cause any serious harm.
These incidents have put Trump in a category with 13 other US presidents and candidates who have been targeted in assassination attempts over the past 160 years. For those who may not be familiar with American political history, let's take a look at some of the past attempts on presidential lives.
The first US president to be the victim of an assassination attempt was Andrew Jackson in 1835. As he was leaving the Capitol building in Washington, DC, Jackson was approached by an unemployed house painter named Richard Lawrence who aimed a pistol at him. Fortunately, the gun jammed and Jackson was able to defend himself by hitting Lawrence with his walking stick. Lawrence then tried to use a second pistol, which also failed to fire, before he was stopped by Jackson's bodyguards. He was later found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent the rest of his life in a mental institution.
Abraham Lincoln, who is known for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation during the American Civil War, was shot on the evening of April 14, 1865 while attending a theatre in Washington, DC with his wife. The gunman, John Wilkes Booth, was a stage actor and Confederate sympathizer. He was found 12 days later and killed by Union soldiers. Lincoln miraculously remained alive until the following morning, but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
Just 16 years later, James Garfield became the second US president to be assassinated, also in Washington, DC. The shooter, Charles Guiteau, was an aspiring political opponent who had hidden himself in the women's waiting room at a train station. When Garfield walked by, Guiteau shot him twice, causing injuries that would ultimately lead to the president's death several weeks later. Guiteau was executed for his crime the following year.
In 1901, William McKinley was shot twice in the chest while shaking hands with the crowd at an exposition in Buffalo, New York. Despite initial hope for his recovery, McKinley died in September of that year due to complications from his wounds. The shooter, Leon Czolgosz, was an anarchist who was executed by electric chair the following month.
Theodore Roosevelt was shot at while getting into a car outside a hotel in Milwaukee in 1912. Luckily, he survived as the bullets were slowed down by a bundle of papers and a glasses case in his pocket. The shooter, John Schrank, was found to be insane and spent the rest of his life in an institution.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, commonly known as FDR, was the third president to survive an assassination attempt. In February 1933, he was shot at in Miami, which resulted in the death of Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak. The shooter, Giuseppe Zangara, was later executed, but experts believe he also suffered from mental health issues.
And in 1950, Harry S. Truman became the fourth president to survive an attempt on his life. He was unharmed in a shooting in Miami, but the mayor of Chicago was not as lucky. The shooter, Oscar Collazo, was sentenced to death, but Truman later commuted his sentence to life in prison.
It's a tragic reality that many US presidents and candidates have been targeted in assassination attempts throughout history. While some have been successful, others have been thwarted by their own quick thinking or the bravery of their protectors. Let us remember and honor those who have lost their lives while serving their country, and hope for a future where such violence is no longer a threat to our leaders.
Donald Trump is the 45th president of the United States, and unfortunately, he has also joined a long list of presidents and candidates who have been targeted in assassination attempts. In fact, he is the latest of 14 individuals who have faced such threats in the history of the US.
Recently, there was a concerning incident at one of Trump's rallies in California. Police apprehended 49-year-old Vern Miller, who was found with loaded guns at the event. According to Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, this may have been the third attempt on Trump's life that has been thwarted. Just last month, a man named Ryan Wesley Routh was charged with attempting to assassinate Trump after being found with a rifle near Trump's golf course in Palm Beach. And in July, Trump was shot at during a rally in Pennsylvania by a 20-year-old gunman named Thomas Matthew Crooks who was later shot dead by a Secret Service sniper.
With this first attempt on his life, Trump has unfortunately joined a list of 13 other US presidents and candidates who have faced similar threats over the past 160 years. For those who may not be familiar with US political history, here is a reminder of some of the previous attempts on the lives of presidents and candidates.
The first recorded attempt on a US president's life was on Andrew Jackson in 1835. While leaving the Capitol building in Washington, DC, Jackson was approached by an unemployed house painter named Richard Lawrence who aimed a pistol at him. However, the gun jammed, and Jackson was able to fight off Lawrence with his walking stick. Lawrence then produced a second pistol, which also misfired. He was later found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent the rest of his life in a mental institution.
Abraham Lincoln, who issued the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War, was shot on the evening of April 14, 1865, while attending a theatre in Washington, DC with his wife. Although he miraculously survived until the following morning, he eventually succumbed to his injuries. The gunman, stage actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth, was found and killed by Union soldiers 12 days later.
James Garfield became the second US president to be assassinated in 1881 by Charles Guiteau, who was hiding in the women's waiting room at Sixth Street Station in Washington, DC. Guiteau shot Garfield twice, and although he initially seemed to have a good chance of recovery, Garfield died several weeks later. Guiteau was later executed for his crime.
In 1901, William McKinley was shot twice in the chest while shaking hands with a crowd after giving a speech in Buffalo, New York. He died later that year due to complications from his wounds. The shooter, Leon Czolgosz, was executed by electric chair the following month.
Theodore Roosevelt, who was running for a third term as president, was shot at in 1912 while getting into a car in Milwaukee. Luckily, the contents of his pockets, which included a bundle of folded papers and a glasses case, may have saved his life. The shooter, John Schrank, was found to be insane and spent the rest of his life in an institution.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, commonly known as FDR, was the third president to survive an attempt on his life. In 1933, he was shot at in Miami, but he escaped unscathed. Sadly, the shooting claimed the life of Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak. The shooter, Giuseppe Zangara, was later executed, but it is believed that he also suffered from mental health issues.
Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the US, was also targeted in an assassination attempt in 1950. A group of Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire on the White House, but Truman was unharmed.
Thankfully, none of the assassination attempts on US presidents and candidates have been successful since John F. Kennedy in 1963. It is a reminder of the dangerous and often volatile nature of politics, and the importance of protecting our leaders and democracy.
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