ASSASINATION ATTEMPTSThe Second Assassination Attempt on Donald Trump in 64 Days Is a Troubling Turn of Events
In American politics, the expression “October surprise” describes “a game-changing event that can irreparably damage one candidate’s chances and boost the other’s,” upending a presidential election. It is no longer hyperbolic thinking to consider that an October surprise may involve another assassination attempt.
On the afternoon of Sept. 15, Donald Trump was playing golf at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., when he was the target of an alleged second assassination attempt. Secret Service agents opened fire when an agent noticed someone pointing a rifle in the bushes at the golf course; the suspect fled and was later apprehended.
The FBI deemed the incident a second assassination attempt on Trump, who was within 300 to 500 yards of the shooter. The Republican presidential candidate was not injured in this latest assassination attempt. The July 13 assassination attempt in Butler, Pa., is still under investigation.
Back-to-back assassination attempts on American presidents are not unprecedented. Gerald Ford survived two attempts without injury within 17 days of each other in September 1975. Trump has now survived two assassination attempts within 64 days of each other.
With this second act of political violence directed towards Trump, a deeper look at assassination attempts is needed to begin to interpret this troubling turn of events.
Emerging Details
The details of the second assassination attempt on Trump draws our attention to the characteristics of the alleged suspect.
Using witness information, the accused suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, was located and detained. Routh is a 58-year-old with ties to North Carolina and Hawaii and a decades-long criminal history. He has been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
In 1997, the U.S. Secret Service published Preventing Assassination: A Monograph, that analyzed previous assassination attempts. It provided key questions for security personnel to consider when attempting to understand attacks on public officials.
One question posed in the monograph is: “Were there key life events and patterns in the histories of persons who have directed violence towards public officials?”
Findings from Preventing Assassination indicated that critical life events of assassins included experiences with an accident or illness, a loss of relationship, a failure in an endeavour or a loss of status.
In this latest attempt, the alleged assassin appears to have a documented history of his failed effort to fight in Ukraine. Routh had also reportedly been involved in several lawsuits since the 1990s that had led to him being ordered to pay tens of thousands of dollars to plaintiffs.
