Former U.S. President Donald Trump was injured in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania.
Trump sustained a wound to his right ear but was reported to be “safe.” He was escorted off stage with blood visible on his ear and cheek after the shooting.
Subsequently, Trump narrowly escaped a potential tragedy while golfing in Palm Beach, Florida in the second assassination attempt.
Historical Context of Assassinations in US
Since the founding of the United States, four presidents and one presidential candidate have been assassinated:
Assassinated Presidents
Abraham Lincoln (1865): Was shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play. Lincoln died the next morning.
James Garfield (1881): Shot at a train station six months into his presidency and died weeks later from his wounds.
William McKinley (1901): Shot after giving a speech in New York. He died eight days later from gangrene.
John F. Kennedy (1963): Fatally shot while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, leading to the arrest of Lee Harvey Oswald.
Assassination Attempts on Candidates
Theodore Roosevelt (1912): Survived a shooting while campaigning.
Robert F. Kennedy (1968): Assassinated shortly after winning the California primary.
George Wallace (1972): Shot during a campaign stop, leaving him paralysed.
Other Notable Assassination Attempts on Presidents
Gerald Ford (1975): Survived two assassination attempts in quick succession.
Ronald Reagan (1981): Shot outside a hotel but survived.
Bill Clinton (1994): An assassination attempt was made against him while he was in the White House.
George W. Bush (2005): Targeted by a grenade that failed to explode.
Donald Trump is now added to the list of US leaders who have survived assassination attempts. The FBI has classified the shooting as an attempted assassination.
