Assassination has long been a shadow hanging over the American presidency. Four sitting U.S. presidents have been killed in office – Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy. Each of these tragic events shocked the nation to its core and altered the political trajectory of the country in profound ways.
The republic has also endured numerous assassination attempts on sitting presidents, including those against Andrew Jackson, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Ronald Reagan, all of which were unsuccessful.
But today, in the hyper-partisan climate of 21st century America, we find ourselves confronting something different – a level of national volatility arguably not seen since the Civil War.
After all, the two assassination attempts on Donald Trump signal a deep and dangerous divide in American society, one that transcends the personal controversies surrounding Trump himself and exposes a larger, more alarming rift in the national fabric.
The attempt on President Ronald Reagan's life in 1981 provides a useful, if sobering, contrast here. Reagan's near-fatal encounter with would-be assassin John Hinckley Jr. produced a rare and fleeting moment of national unity. On that fateful day, as Reagan was rushed to the hospital, the attending surgeon reportedly told the president, who asked jokingly \"I hope you're all Republicans,\" \"today, Mr. President, we're all Republicans\" – a touching and humanizing moment, symbolic of a national ethos that recognized, however briefly, that some things transcend partisan lines.
The nation came together then, not because everyone agreed with Reagan's policies, but because there was still an underlying consensus that the presidency, as an institution, was to be respected and defended. The health of the commander-in-chief mattered, regardless of political affiliation. The system itself – American democracy – was under threat, and that realization provoked a collective response of sympathy, concern, and even patriotism.
Contrast that with the two assassination attempts on Donald Trump. Within a week, the story how he literally dodged a bullet had all but vanished from the media. The golf course incident yesterday will suffer the same fate.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
