Donald Trump ‘safe’ after gunshots fired outside ex-President’s Florida golf club weeks after assassination attempt

THROUGHOUT U.S. history, four presidents have been assassinated while in office, and several others survived assassination attempts.

These tragic events have had profound effects on the nation and led to significant changes in how presidential security is handled.

The first U.S. president to be assassinated was Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, on April 14, 1865. Just days after the Civil War ended, Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer, while attending a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Lincoln succumbed to his injuries the following day, leaving the country in shock during a pivotal time of reconstruction.

In 1881, James A. Garfield, the 20th president, was shot by Charles J. Guiteau, a disgruntled office seeker. Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881, at a train station in Washington, D.C., and suffered for months from infections caused by the wounds before dying on September 19, 1881. His death brought attention to the issues of medical care and political patronage.

The third assassination occurred in 1901, when William McKinley, the 25th president, was shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz during a public event at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. McKinley initially survived the shooting on September 6, 1901, but died from gangrene caused by his wounds on September 14. His death ushered in the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt and marked a turning point in how political violence was viewed.

The most recent assassination of a U.S. president occurred on November 22, 1963, when John F. Kennedy, the 35th president, was shot while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was killed by a sniper’s bullet, with Lee Harvey Oswald named as the official assassin. The event left a lasting impact on American society and continues to be the subject of much debate and conspiracy.

Several other U.S. presidents survived serious assassination attempts.

Andrew Jackson, the 7th president, faced the first recorded attempt in 1835, when Richard Lawrence tried to shoot him outside the U.S. Capitol. Remarkably, both of Lawrence’s pistols misfired, and Jackson defended himself with his cane.

In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt was shot while campaigning for a third term after his presidency. He survived because the bullet was slowed by his glasses case and a thick speech in his pocket, and he famously went on to finish his speech before seeking medical help.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, before taking office, narrowly avoided an attempt on his life in 1933. During a public event in Miami, Giuseppe Zangara fired at Roosevelt but missed, killing Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak instead.

Harry S. Truman faced a more organized attempt in 1950 when two Puerto Rican nationalists tried to storm Blair House, where he was staying. A gunfight ensued, but Truman was unharmed.

In 1975, Gerald Ford survived two assassination attempts within the same month. First, Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson, attempted to shoot him in Sacramento, California, but her gun failed to fire. Just 17 days later, Sara Jane Moore fired a shot at Ford in San Francisco but missed.

Lastly, in 1981, Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr. outside a hotel in Washington, D.C. Reagan was seriously injured but recovered after surgery, and the incident led to heightened security measures for future presidents.