Trump joins a not-so-exclusive club of U.S. presidents, former presidents and presidential candidates who have been the target of bullets. Given the near mythic status of U.S. presidents, and the nation’s superpower role, political assassinations strike at the very heart of the American psyche. It was after McKinley’s assassination that the U.S. Secret Service was given the job of providing full-time protection to presidents. Even though he had been shot, Roosevelt went on to make a campaign speech with the bullet still in his chest. Like Trump, most assassination attempts occur when candidates and politicians are in public spaces with crowds of people nearby.

Source: Daily Nation July 18, 2024 14:34 UTC