Two months ago, a 20-year-old man named Thomas Crooks attempted to assassinate Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Mr. Crooks positioned himself on the roof of a commercial building about 120 yards from where Mr. Trump was addressing a large crowd and opened fire on the former president.
In a catastrophic failure on the part of the Secret Service—which ultimately led to the resignation of former director Kimberly Cheatle—Mr. Crooks was not only able to access an elevated position with an unobstructed view of Mr. Trump, but he also managed to fire at least six shots before being neutralized by Secret Service snipers.
A few inches made the difference between life and death for Mr. Trump—he suffered only a superficial wound to the ear. Unfortunately, Corey Comperatore, former head of the Butler County Fire Department, was killed while shielding his family from the gunfire. Two other spectators were seriously injured but are now in stable condition.
Trump Part Deux
In mid-September, the Secret Service foiled a second assassination attempt on Mr. Trump while he was golfing at his Florida course. An agent on assignment noticed the barrel of a long gun belonging to a man named Ryan Wesley Routh protruding from a bush at the perimeter of the course, approximately 400 yards from where the former president was playing. The agent fired four shots at Routh (Routh did not appear to have fired any rounds). He fled the scene but was later apprehended without incident in a vehicle on I-95. Among the items left near the scene of the botched assassination attempt were a loaded semiautomatic rifle with a scope and an illegible serial number, food, and a GoPro camera.
Unlike the earlier case involving Thomas Crooks, Routh did not appear to have fired a shot and did not have a direct line of sight to Mr. Trump. However, the Secret Service faced criticism for allowing Routh to linger at the edge of the golf course for approximately 12 hours before the incident. It remains unclear how Routh knew—or inferred, given that he often plays there—that Mr. Trump would be on the course that day.
The attempts on Donald Trump’s life are not entirely surprising. Before exploring why, let us first review the history of political violence in America.
History
Four sitting presidents have been assassinated, and there have been five other failed attempts. Most assassinations and attempted assassinations were politically motivated, though a few were the result of mental illness or personal vendettas.
Abraham Lincoln
Assassinated: April 14, 1865
Assassin: John Wilkes Booth
Context: John Wilkes Booth, a stage actor and Confederate sympathizer, opposed Lincoln’s efforts to abolish slavery. Booth shot President Lincoln in the back of the head at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., a few days after the Civil War ended. After the assassination, Booth fled to southern Maryland and was eventually found on a farm in northern Virginia. A standoff ensued, and Union soldier Boston Corbett shot Booth; he died a few hours later.
James A. Garfield
Assassinated: July 2, 1881 (died from his wounds on September 19, 1881)
Assassin: Charles J. Guiteau
Context: Charles Guiteau shot President James Garfield at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D.C. Guiteau, a disillusioned public office seeker, believed he played a crucial role in Garfield’s election and was therefore “owed” a job in Garfield’s administration. Guiteau was convicted and hanged on June 30, 1882.
William McKinley
Assassinated: September 6, 1901 (died from his wounds/infection on September 23, 1901)
Assassin: Leon Czolgosz
Context: An anarchist, Leon Czolgosz believed the U.S. government enabled the wealthy to exploit the poor. He shot President McKinley twice in the stomach at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, NY. A mob of Expo-goers beat Czolgosz, and despite McKinley urging them to “go easy on him,” police struggled to maintain order. Czolgosz was tried, found guilty, and executed by electrocution on October 29, 1901. His last words were: "I killed the President because he was the enemy of the good people—the good working people. I am not sorry for my crime. I am sorry I could not see my father."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Attempted Assassination: February 15, 1933
Assassin: Giuseppe Zangara
Context: During an impromptu speech in Miami, FL, two weeks before FDR was to be inaugurated, Giuseppe Zangara fired five shots intending to kill President Roosevelt. He missed, but a bullet struck Anton Cermak, Mayor of Chicago, who died 19 days later. Five others were also injured. Zangara, who confessed in jail, was initially sentenced to 80 years but was later convicted of murder and executed on March 20, 1933.
Death Row
Giuseppe Zangara’s case is notable for coining the term “death row.” Under Florida law at the time, two convicted murderers could not share a cell. As Zangara was held in a facility where another convicted killer awaited execution, prison officials had to create more space; thus, the term “death row” was born.
John F. Kennedy
Assassinated: November 22, 1963
Assassin: Lee Harvey Oswald
Context: Lee Harvey Oswald shot President John F. Kennedy from the 6th floor of the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, Texas. After killing Kennedy, Oswald also killed policeman J.D. Tippit. Oswald was arrested but was shot dead by Jack Ruby before he could stand trial. The Warren Commission concluded that Oswald acted alone, though many Americans dispute this finding.
Gerald Ford
Attempted Assassinations: September 5, 1975, and September 22, 1975
Assassins: Lynette Fromme, Sara Jane Moore
Context: Lynette Fromme, a member of Charles Manson’s cult, attempted to kill President Ford in Sacramento, CA, due to her anger over Ford's policies. Her gun malfunctioned, and she was arrested. Sara Moore attempted to kill Ford in San Francisco, CA, but missed, injuring a bystander. Moore was sentenced to life in prison and died in 2006.
Ronald Reagan
Attempted Assassination: March 30, 1981
Assassin: John Hinckley Jr.
Context: John Hinckley Jr. shot President Ronald Reagan outside the Washington Hilton Hotel, wounding Reagan, Press Secretary James Brady, Police Officer Thomas Delahanty, and Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy. Hinckley was apparently motivated by his obsession with actress Jodie Foster and was found not guilty by reason of insanity. He spent over 30 years in psychiatric care before his conditions were lifted in 2022. Following the attempt on Mr. Trump's life Hinckley tweeted, "Violence is not the way to go. Give peace a chance."
Secret Service
The Secret Service was initially founded on July 5, 1865, to combat counterfeiting. After President McKinley’s assassination in 1901, the Secret Service became responsible for protecting presidents. Kennedy's assassination prompted significant reforms. Today, the Secret Service has around 8,300 agents and an annual budget of $3.2 billion. However, its recent failure to protect Mr. Trump suggests it has become overly bureaucratic, bloated, and perhaps, too politically correct.
After Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned in disgrace, Ronald Rower took over. Rower acknowledged the security lapse, stating, “What I saw made me ashamed…As a career law-enforcement officer and a 25-year veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured.” It remains to be seen what changes will be enacted following the events of July 13 and September 15.
Political Climate
The political climate in America is downright nasty. According to The Economist, "a recent survey by Robert Pape of the University of Chicago found that 10% of Americans believe the use of force is justified to prevent Trump from becoming president again, and nearly 7% think violence is justified to restore him to the presidency. Public support for using force to coerce lawmakers in Congress nearly doubled to 17% between January 2023 and today." This survey was conducted before the assassination attempts on Trump. Hence, though regrettable, it is not surprising they happened.
Following the attack, extremists from both sides made snarky comments online and offline. Some on the far left lamented that the shooter missed the former president, while some on the far right suggested the security lapse was part of a conspiracy to kill Trump. Such responses are deeply troubling.
While extremists receive a disproportionate media coverage, a sizable group of reasonable, centrist Americans are fed up with the divisiveness that now permeates their daily lives. The silent majority must be willing to reach across the aisle and seek bipartisan solutions. Though the shift toward compromise will not be quick or easy, but it can and must begin. At TQC, we strive to contribute to this crucial transformation.