When Thomas Matthew Crooks fired an AR-style rifle at former President Donald Trump during a campaign event in Pennsylvania on July 13, it was the first public presidential-level assassination attempt the United States has seen since a gunman shot at then-President Ronald Reagan in 1981. There have been at least 15 acts of political violence targeting U.S. presidents and presidential candidates, according to the Washington Post, with five of these incidents resulting in death. This includes the killing of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968 while on the campaign trail.
While each assassination and assassination attempt in history has differed, Peter Fraunholtz, assistant teaching professor in history and international affairs at Northeastern University, said there is a pattern of attempts taking place when a country’s political center is in a threatened or weakened state.
