Former U.S. President Donald Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt during a campaign rally, sustaining minor injuries as a bullet grazed his ear.
The incident adds Trump to a long list of American leaders who have faced similar threats, highlighting the persistent dangers in a nation where the right to bear arms is constitutionally protected.
Historical precedents
The first recorded attempt on a sitting president occurred in 1835 when Richard Lawrence’s pistols misfired as he targeted Andrew Jackson at the Capitol.
Abraham Lincoln became the first president to be assassinated in 1865, shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre in Washington. Booth, who opposed Lincoln’s views on racial equality, shouted “Sic Semper Tyrannis” before escaping.
James Garfield fell victim in 1881, shot by Charles Guiteau at a Washington train station. Medical errors contributed to Garfield’s death months later.
William McKinley’s 1901 assassination by Leon Czolgosz at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo led to the U.S. Secret Service assuming responsibility for presidential protection.
Notable attempts
Theodore Roosevelt survived a 1912 shooting whilst campaigning in Milwaukee. Despite being wounded, he delivered most of his speech before seeking medical attention.
The 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas remains one of the most scrutinised events in American history. Lee Harvey Oswald, arrested as the sole suspect, was himself killed by Jack Ruby two days later, fuelling ongoing conspiracy theories.
Senator Robert Kennedy was fatally shot in 1968 at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, adding to the Kennedy family’s tragic legacy.
Ronald Reagan survived a 1981 attempt by John Hinckley Jr., despite being seriously wounded. Reagan’s quip, “Honey, I forgot to duck”, to his wife became emblematic of his resilience.
Recent
More recent incidents include a foiled car bomb plot against George W. Bush in Kuwait in 1993, gunshots fired near the White House in 2011, and explosive devices mailed to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden in 2018.
