Former President Donald Trump has recently claimed that the heated rhetoric from Democrats has put him at risk, following what appears to be an assassination attempt on Sunday. Research indicates that threats against presidents or those in line for presidential succession have been more common than widely recognized since 1986. Records from Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) show that there have been 1,444 cases of threats against presidents or successors since Ronald Reagan’s administration, with the highest number of prosecutions occurring during the Reagan and George W. Bush administrations. Convictions have been most prevalent during the George W. Bush and Clinton presidencies.
TRAC, a database research tool established in the 1980s, gathers information from government data obtained through federal open records laws and court litigation. The recent incident involving Trump being targeted is under investigation, with Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, facing charges related to possessing a firearm despite a prior felony conviction. Authorities are looking into Routh’s motive and activities leading up to the attempt on Trump’s life, which occurred while he was playing golf at a course in West Palm Beach.
Despite being a former president and a presidential candidate, Trump is not the only one who has faced assassination attempts while seeking office. Historically, former presidents like Teddy Roosevelt in 1912 and others have experienced similar threats while running for office. The TRAC data does not encompass all notable historical incidents, including the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan in 1982 and attempts on Gerald Ford’s life in 1975.
Similarly, a case not captured in TRAC data is when Francisco Martin Duran fired shots at the White House in 1994 during Bill Clinton’s presidency. Duran was convicted of attempting to assassinate the president and received a 40-year sentence. Notably, incidents involving threats against political figures have occurred periodically throughout history, showcasing the persistent issue of violence in the United States.
In a separate incident earlier this year, a New Hampshire man who faced charges for threatening Republican candidates was found deceased as a jury deliberated his case. These occurrences underscore the ongoing challenge of ensuring the safety and security of political figures.
