Shots were fired during a rally speech by Donald Trump, in what investigators are treating as a potential assassination attempt on the former president.
According to AFP, here are some notable examples of shootings involving US presidents or presidential candidates, including Abraham Lincoln and JFK:
–Ronald Reagan, 1981
President Reagan was seriously injured when he was shot outside the Hilton hotel in Washington by John Hinckley Jr. Reagan’s hospital stay lasted twelve days, and the incident increased his popularity due to his humor and resilience during recovery. Hinckley was granted unconditional release in 2022.
–Gerald Ford, 1975
In September 1975, President Ford survived two separate assassination attempts within 17 days in California, both carried out by women.
–George Wallace, 1972
During his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, George Wallace was shot four times at a shopping mall in Laurel, Maryland, leaving him paralyzed for life. Known for his segregationist views, Wallace’s shooting highlighted the political tensions and potential for domestic violence during the Vietnam War era.
–Robert F. Kennedy, 1968
While running for the Democratic presidential nomination, Robert F. Kennedy, brother of President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California.
His death profoundly impacted the 1968 presidential race and occurred just two months after the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., adding to the political turmoil of the late 1960s.
–John F. Kennedy, 1963
President Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in his motorcade with his wife Jackie in Dallas, Texas.
The Warren Commission concluded in 1964 that Oswald, a former marine who had lived in the Soviet Union, acted alone. Many Americans believe Kennedy’s death marked the beginning of a more violent period in US politics and society, set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War buildup and the civil rights struggle.
–Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933
As president-elect, FDR was targeted in an assassination attempt in Miami, Florida. He was unharmed, but Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak was killed.
–Theodore Roosevelt, 1912
Running for the White House as a former president, Teddy Roosevelt was shot in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The bullet, which remained lodged in his chest for the rest of his life, was slowed by the folded 50-page speech and steel eyeglass case in his breast pocket. Despite being shot, Roosevelt delivered his scheduled speech.
– William McKinley, 1901
President McKinley was assassinated by anarchist Leon Czolgosz in Buffalo, New York.
–Abraham Lincoln, 1865
Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a well-known actor and Confederate sympathizer, while watching a play called “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater in Washington. Booth’s attack, just days after the Confederate surrender in the Civil War, was part of a larger plot that included attempts to assassinate Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Seward.
