On the afternoon of July 13th, former President and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania. The attacker was shot dead by Secret Service agents, while one attendee tragically lost their life and two others were seriously injured. Throughout history, nine U.S. presidents have been targeted in shooting incidents, with four of them tragically losing their lives.
Around 6 p.m. local time on July 13th, Trump was giving a speech at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania when the shooting occurred unexpectedly.
Multiple gunshots rang out at the scene. After the initial shots, Trump raised his hand to touch his right ear, then quickly ducked behind the podium. Secret Service agents immediately rushed to shield Trump and escorted him away once the gunfire subsided. There was blood on Trump’s right ear as he left the scene.
The shooter reportedly fired from a higher location outside the rally venue and was subsequently shot dead by Secret Service agents. The shooting resulted in the death of one attendee and left two others seriously injured. The Secret Service assured that Trump was “safe” and currently undergoing evaluation. The FBI officially classified the incident as an attempted assassination targeting Trump.
Since George Washington became the first U.S. President in 1789, a total of 46 individuals have held the office of the President. Among them, nine have been targeted in shooting incidents, with four of them succumbing to the attacks.
Andrew Jackson, the 7th U.S. President, was the first to survive a shooting incident in American history.
On January 30, 1835, Jackson was targeted by a mentally unstable painter Richard Lawrence at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington D.C. Lawrence fired two pistols at Jackson from a distance of less than 6 feet but missed both shots. Lawrence was later diagnosed with mental illness and confined to a mental institution.
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. President, was the first president to be assassinated in office.
On April 14, 1865, during a theater performance at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C., actor John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln in the head. Booth fled and was later found in a burning barn in Virginia, where he died from his injuries. Three co-conspirators were executed. Lincoln passed away the following day.
James A. Garfield, the 20th U.S. President, was shot by Charles Guiteau, a disgruntled member of the Republican Party faction, on July 2, 1881, at a train station in Washington. Garfield succumbed to his injuries on September 19. Guiteau was hanged the following year.
William McKinley, the 25th U.S. President, fell victim to anarchist Leon Czolgosz on September 6, 1901, at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, where McKinley was shot while shaking hands with the public. McKinley passed away eight days later. Czolgosz was electrocuted in December of the same year despite McKinley’s last words pleading for his safety.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd U.S. President, the only President to serve four terms, played significant roles during the Great Depression and World War II. In 1933, Giuseppe Zangara fired five shots at Roosevelt during a speech in Miami, all of which missed the President.
Harry S. Truman, the 33rd U.S. President, presided over significant historical events including the Allied victory in Nazi Germany and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to Japan’s surrender and the formal end of World War II.
On November 1, 1950, there was an attempted assassination against President Truman in Washington D.C. Two gunmen, Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola, members of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, tried to storm Blair House, where Truman was staying. One was killed by guards, while Truman emerged unharmed.
John F. Kennedy, the 35th U.S. President, and member of the prominent Kennedy family, had the shortest tenure as President.
Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, while his motorcade passed through Dallas. The identity of the assassin and details surrounding the assassination remain controversial. Lee Harvey Oswald, the arrested assassin, was shot and killed two days later in prison.
Following Kennedy’s assassination, 18 key witnesses reportedly died within three years. Between 1963 and 1993, approximately 115 related witnesses allegedly died by suicide or murder in various mysterious circumstances, fueling conspiracy theories surrounding Kennedy’s death, turning it into a historical enigma.
Gerald Ford, the 38th U.S. President, survived two assassination attempts in September 1975.
On September 5 in Sacramento, a follower of the infamous cult leader Charles Manson aimed a .45 caliber handgun at Ford, but the gun misfired, and the assailant was apprehended. She was later sentenced to life in prison for the attempted assassination.
Seventeen days later, another woman attempted to shoot Ford in San Francisco, but a bystander deflected her aim, preventing any injuries. She was also sentenced to life in prison for the attempted assassination.
Ronald Reagan, the 40th U.S. President, was shot on March 30, 1981, just 69 days into his presidency. After a speech at the Hilton Hotel in Washington, Reagan and three others were shot by John Hinckley Jr. using a .22-caliber revolver.
Reagan sustained a gunshot wound to the lung, causing severe internal bleeding, but he made a rapid recovery due to timely medical assistance. The incident did not result in any fatalities, but White House Press Secretary James Brady was left permanently paralyzed by a bullet to the head. Hinckley was deemed not guilty by reason of insanity and was placed in a psychiatric facility for treatment.