As Election Day draws near, Americans have witnessed increasing political violence aimed at the presidential hopefuls. The two highest-profile events involved former president Donald Trump.
At a rally in Butler, Penn., former president and nominee of the Republican Party for the 2024 election Trump was shot at by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from the roof of a nearby building. Eight rounds were fired by Crooks’ AR-style rifle on July 13, 2024, killing attendee Corey Comperatore and injuring several others at the rally – including Trump.
“At first, I thought Trump was just acting like a comedian as he often does, until I kept rewinding the video and finally realized that he was actually shot on his right ear,” sophomore David Horne-Louttit said.
Soon after, Crooks was shot and killed by the United States Secret Service Counter Sniper Team, derailing his assassination attempt. Trump was taken to a hospital and released later that day, making his next appearance two days later with a bandage covering his wound at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis.
“The Secret Service really, really screwed up. That was a complete failure of securing an area,” social studies teacher Steven Rice said.
CNN Politics pundits criticized the Secret Service, expressing grave concern over their actions on that day – questioning how the sniper was able to obtain rooftop access only 150 meters away from Trump’s podium at the outdoor rally. In response, the Secret Service explained that the sniper was outside their ‘hard’ security perimeter.
On Sept. 15, 2024, Trump faced another assassination attempt, this time by suspect Ryan Wesley Routh, 58. It is believed that Routh camped out at the tree line of a golf course in Palm Beach, Fla., for 12 hours while carrying an AK-47-style rifle. A member of the Secret Service accompanying Trump at the golf course spotted Routh about 500 yards away and immediately opened fire.
A witness then saw a man jump out of the bushes and dart to a black Nissan SUV. The car was pulled over around 50 miles north of the golf course; officers ultimately found a loaded rifle, a scope, a bag of food and two backpacks that held ceramic tile and a GoPro camera.
Routh was arrested and charged with two federal firearm offenses. The Justice Department revealed that Routh possessed a handwritten list of dates and venues where Trump was to appear in addition to his plans. The notes stated, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job.”
These details led to Routh’s indictment for the attempted assassination of former President Trump. Along with his firearm and misdemeanor offenses such as hit-and-run offense, resisting arrest, and a concealed weapons violation.
With these two politically violent matters, Trump has stayed confident in his campaign and supporters. According to Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) news, some say his reaction to the violence may have helped him with voters, such as his viral clenched fist in the air directly after the first attempt.
