Trump Assassination Attempts
In this article, Audrey will be reporting on the events of the two assassination attempts of Donald J. Trump which only occured nine weeks apart from each other.
In this article, Audrey will be reporting on the events of the two assassination attempts of Donald J. Trump which only occured nine weeks apart from each other.
By: Audrey Roetling
The first apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald J. Trump occurred on July 13, 2024, at one of his campaign rallies in Butler, Pennsylvania. The gunman fired at Trump over eight times from the top of a building, only piercing his right ear with a bullet. After being spotted, the gunman was killed by a Secret Service counter snipe.
At the rally, two bystanders were injured and one man was killed by the gunman. The injured include James Copenhaver-- a registered Democrat with a love for politics-- and David Dutch, a long-time Trump supporter. Then, there was Corey Coperatore, a volunteer fire chief, who died jumping in front of a bullet to save his wife and daughter. He was noted to be a Christian, family man, and Trump supporter who had been excited to attend the rally. His wife said in an interview with BBC News " He truly loved us enough to take a real bullet for us. And I want nothing more than to cry on him and tell him thank you."
On Sept. 15, 2024, the second apparent assassination attempt of Donald J. Trump occurred only nine weeks after the assassination attempt at the rally. It occurred at Trump International Golf Club at West Palm Beach, Florida. According to BBC News, the muzzle of an SKS semi-automatic rifle was spotted by Secret Services from some shrubbery situated only 300-500 yards from Trump. When the suspect was caught, agents fired four to five rounds of gun ammunition and assisted Trump in escaping the area. The suspect dropped his weapon and fled in a black Nissan SUV, with a reportedly stolen license plate. He was later tracked down by law enforcement and brought to trial. However, his guilt has not been immediately determined, due to case factors such as proving intentions when the run was never fired. Former President Trump experienced no injuries and, according to KMBC, said, "It's a dangerous business. Only consequential presidents get shot at."
The gunman was convicted of owning a machine gun in 2002, convicted of possession of multiple stolen goods in 2010, and it was reported to the FBI that this felon was in possession of firearms in 2019. The gunman was also reported to the FBI for going to Ukraine to recruit volunteers to fight for Kyiv after Russia’s invasion. The International League of Foreign Fighters in an interview with BBC News, said he was not a member and was problematic the whole time he was in Ukraine. He self-published a book in 2023, called Ukraine’s Unwinnable War, where he tried to encourage Iran to assassinate Trump.
The result of the Trump assassination attempts concluded in the House of Representatives who, according to Fox News, passed a bill to increase United States Secret Service Protections for any president, vice president, and major White House candidates. The bill passed unanimously, with a 405 to 0 vote. Before Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race, he heightened Secret Service protection for Donald J. Trump and third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr, saying: "In America, we resolve our differences at the ballot box, not with bullets."