A day after the failed assassination attempt on his rival Donald Trump, US president Joe Biden denounced the attack in statesmanlike terms, railing that “there’s no place in America for this kind of violence”.
Except that isn’t strictly true. “This kind” of violence has long been commonplace in the US for centuries, and shows no sign of abating. In fact, nearly one in 10 US presidents have been assassinated in office, while another handful were either shot or narrowly escaped disaster.
Trump wasn’t even the first ex-president to be shot on the campaign trail when seeking non-consecutive election to the Oval Office. That dubious honour belongs to Theodore Roosevelt, the former Republican president who, while seeking a return to the White House in 1912, was due to make a scheduled address in Milwaukee when he was shot. With the bullet lodged in his chest – its progress had been slowed by a copy of his hefty, 84-minute speech tucked inside his coat pocket – he spoke to the crowd, apologising that “I cannot make a very long speech… but I will try my best”.
Denne historien er fra July 16, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
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Denne historien er fra July 16, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
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