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The fairway was closed at Trump International Golf Club on Sept. 15, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida, after shots were reported fired nearby toward Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump.
On the afternoon of September 15, Donald Trump was playing golf at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, when he was the target of an alleged second assassination attempt. Secret Service agents opened fire when an agent observed someone pointing a rifle in the bushes on the golf course. Although the agent was initially Suspect fled, was later arrested thanks to information from witnesses.
The FBI considered the incident A second assassination attempt against Trumpwho was between 300 and 500 meters away from the shooter. The Republican presidential candidate was not injured this time, unlike the July 13 attack in Butler, Pennsylvania, which remains under investigation.
Consecutive assassination attempts on American presidents are not without precedent. Gerald Ford survived Two attempts without injury in 17 days difference in September 1975. Trump, who in this case is a candidate, has survived two attacks 64 days apart.
Attacks against public officials: what they have in common
The characteristics of the alleged suspect are striking. Ryan Wesley Routh is a 58-year-old man linked to North Carolina and Hawaii with a criminal record spanning decadesHe has been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with the serial number obliterated.
AP Photo/Efrem LukatskyAn April 2022 photo shows Ryan Wesley Routh paying tribute to foreign nationals killed during the war between Russia and Ukraine.
In 1997, the United States Secret Service published Murder prevention: a monographwhich examined previous assassination attempts. The special issue raised key questions that security personnel should consider when analysing attacks against public officials.
One of the questions posed in the paper is: Were there key life events and patterns in the histories of individuals who have directed violence against public officials?
Preventing Assassination’s findings suggested that critical life events for killers included experiences with an accident or illness, the loss of a relationship, failure at a goal, or recent loss of status.
In this latest attempt, the alleged attacker appears to have a documented history of his failed effort to fight in the Ukraine war. Routh had also reportedly been involved in several lawsuits dating back to the 1990s that had led to him being ordered to pay tens of thousands of dollars to plaintiffs.
Politics as war
This alleged attempted attack reflects how the current political context in the United States leads some radicals to feel legitimised to use violence.
This phenomenon can be linked to the strong polarization of American voters. A 2022 study by the Professor of Political Science Alan Abramowitz The paper on the rise of partisan-ideological radicalization in the United States and its consequences suggested that a growing number of voters have come to view politics as a form of warfare. In such circumstances, elections are seen as contests between the forces of good and evil.
That sentiment was echoed on the third anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, when US President Joe Biden delivered a speech on defending the sacred cause of American democracy. He said:
“You can’t have an election if you view politics as all-out war instead of a peaceful way to resolve our differences. All-out war is what Trump wants.”
The causes and impact of political assassinationsPublished in 2015 by the United States Military Academy’s Counterterrorism Center, it offers a necessary perspective on the relationship between political polarization and assassinations.
The study suggests that elections are more effective and peaceful after ensuring that the most intense political grievances have been addressed. Unresolved intense political grievances have the potential to instigate further violence, including assassination attempts on politicians.
Prepared for new incidents
In American politics, the phrase “October surprise” describes “a game-changing event that can irreparably damage one candidate’s chances and boost another’s, upending a presidential election.”
Given the trajectory of these elections, a new episode of political violence could influence the election results.
Trump politicized the first assassination attempt during the Republican National Convention and his campaign began fundraising around the apparent second assassination attempt within hours. Some Trump allies, including Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, have suggested the July attack was the inevitable result of Democratic hate speech.
With two apparent assassination attempts on the Republican presidential candidate now underway, political violence has become a defining feature of the 2024 election. It is no longer far-fetched to consider the possibility of another assassination attempt.
By Jack L. RozdilskyAssociate Professor of Disaster and Emergency Management, York University, Canada
This article is republished from The conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
