Shots were fired during a rally speech by Donald Trump, in an incident that investigators are treating as a possible assassination attempt on the former president. Here are some notable examples of shootings involving US presidents or presidential candidates:
RONALD REAGAN (1981)
President Reagan was shot and seriously wounded as he left an event at the Hilton hotel in Washington. The attacker was John Hinckley Jr, who was granted unconditional release in 2022. Reagan spent twelve days in the hospital. The incident boosted Reagan’s popularity, as he displayed humor and resilience during his recovery.
GERALD FORD (1975)
President Ford was left unscathed in two separate assassination attempts by women in September 1975, both in California and within a span of just 17 days.
GEORGE WALLACE (1972)
While campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, Wallace was shot four times and paralyzed for life at a shopping mall in Laurel, Maryland. The assassination attempt on Wallace, who was known for his segregationist views and populist appeal, highlighted the ongoing political tensions in the US and potential for domestic violence in the Vietnam war era.
ROBERT F. KENNEDY (1968)
President John F. Kennedy’s brother Robert, who was running for the Democratic presidential nomination, was shot and killed at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The assassination had a profound impact on the 1968 presidential race and occurred just two months after the killing of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, adding to the political turmoil of the late 1960s.
JOHN F. KENNEDY (1963)
Riding in his motorcade with his wife Jackie, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas by Lee Harvey Oswald. The Warren Commission investigating the assassination concluded in 1964 that Lee Harvey Oswald, a former marine who had lived in the Soviet Union, had acted alone. Many Americans believe the death of JFK began a more violent period in US politics and society, with the Vietnam War build up and the civil rights struggle as a backdrop.