Acts of political violence committed against a U.S. president date to the republic’s early decades.
On Saturday, a gunman shot former President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. After several shots rang out, one bullet grazed Trump’s ear before he fell to the ground and U.S. Secret Service agents toppled over him.
The former president later said on social media that he was fine and would appear at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week. The gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed by a Secret Service sharpshooter. A volunteer firefighter in the crowd was killed, while two other rallygoers were injured.
The assassination attempt on Trump follows a series of incidents that have left some presidents rattled or hospitalized, only to go on serving their term or terms or continue running for office.
But there have been several attempts that have ended in national tragedy. Many Americans …