A history of assassination attempts on US leaders
Donald Trump was caught up in a shooting incident on Saturday evening while attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, where gunfire prompted a rapid security response and his evacuation from the venue. Authorities described the episode as a serious security breach, though he was unharmed. The incident comes amid heightened concern following an earlier assassination attempt during his 2024 campaign, in which he sustained a minor ear injury.
Below is a look at previous attacks on American leaders, both fatal and unsuccessful.
Presidential assassinations
Four sitting US presidents have been assassinated:
Abraham Lincoln was killed in 1865 by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre in Washington.
James Garfield was shot in 1881 at a railway station in Washington and died more than two months later from his injuries.
William McKinley was assassinated in 1901 in Buffalo, New York, by an anarchist gunman.
John F. Kennedy was shot in 1963 in Dallas, Texas, by Lee Harvey Oswald while travelling in a motorcade.
Leaders who survived assassination attempts
Several presidents have been targeted and survived:
Donald Trump had just begun addressing supporters in Pennsylvania when shots were fired. A bullet appeared to graze his ear before he was swiftly escorted away by security personnel.
Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981 outside a hotel in Washington. He was injured after a bullet ricocheted off a limousine and struck him under the left arm, but later recovered.
Gerald Ford survived two separate attempts on his life in 1975 within a matter of weeks, escaping injury on both occasions.
Theodore Roosevelt was shot in the chest in 1912 while campaigning in Milwaukee but survived the attack.
On October 29, 1994, Francisco Martin Duran fired at least 29 shots at the White House with a semi-automatic rifle, mistakenly believing President Clinton was outside, before being tackled by tourists and later sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Other US leaders targeted
On October 16, 1909, an assassination attempt on Presidents William Howard Taft and Porfirio Díaz was foiled when a gunman carrying a concealed pistol was disarmed just feet from them along the summit route in El Paso.
On November 19, 1928, a plot by Argentine anarchists to blow up President-elect Herbert Hoover’s train during his South American tour was foiled when the would-be bomber was arrested before placing explosives on the tracks.
Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968 at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles during his presidential campaign.
George C. Wallace was shot in 1972 during a campaign event, leaving him paralysed from the waist down.
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