Attempt on Trump sparks renewed focus on political violence in U.S.
The attempted assassination of Donald Trump on Saturday is yet another act of political violence in the United States, reminds the Bloomberg agency, which notes that Trump was already targeted for assassination in 2016. Several presidents have been killed in U.S. history.
The attempt to assassinate the former president took place a few minutes after the speech began in Butler, approximately 50 kilometres from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Moments after two gunshots were heard, the former president fell to the ground, holding his ear, and was then covered by Secret Service agents protecting him. The bleeding president was taken to the hospital. After conducting tests, Trump was discharged and is in good condition, according to Republican sources.
It's unbelievable that something like this could happen in our country. At the moment, nothing is known about the shooter, who is already dead. I was shot by a bullet that went through the upper part of my right ear. I immediately knew something was wrong; I heard the whistle, the shots, and instantly felt the bullet pierce the skin. There was a lot of bleeding, and then I understood what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!" - wrote Trump.
FBI chief in Pittsburgh, Kevin Rojek, revealed that the perpetrator of the assassination attempt has been preliminarily identified. He added that despite the initial determination of the shooter's identity, the services will only release his information to the public once they are completely certain, as the man did not have any documents on him. The motive for his actions has also not been disclosed.
Assassinations in the USA are nothing new
This is the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump in history during a campaign before the presidential elections. In 2016, a 20-year-old Briton tried to take a weapon from a police officer at a political rally in Las Vegas. "He later told the police that he tried to kill Trump and admitted to federal firearms offences and disturbing the peace," notes Bloomberg.
The agency recalls that in the past, four presidents have been assassinated: Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy. However, there have been many more attempts on sitting presidents and presidential candidates.
"Almost every modern president has been targeted. The special services thwarted most of these attempts, and only a few resulted in injuries," it reads.
Assassinations of politicians in the USA
In March 1981, six shots were fired at Ronald Reagan while he was in Washington. Reagan was seriously injured and underwent surgery. The perpetrator, John Hinckley Jr., was detained and placed in a psychiatric institution, where he stayed until 2016.
Gerald Ford survived two assassination attempts in 1975. Two women tried to take his life within 18 days, one of whom belonged to Charles Manson's cult.
The American public was shaken by the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and his older brother John F. Kennedy. John, the sitting president, was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas in November 1963. Meanwhile, his younger brother Robert was killed as a candidate in the Democratic primaries in 1968. The assassin was sentenced to life imprisonment.
A few decades earlier (in 1912), Theodore Roosevelt was shot during a rally in Milwaukee. Meanwhile, in 1901, President William McKinley was killed in Buffalo. The politician died from his injuries. After his death, then-Vice President Roosevelt became president.
In contrast, in 1881, James Garfield died from injuries after being shot. In 1865, Abraham Lincoln was killed. The perpetrator was actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth.
