American Assassination Attempts Explained: From John F. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump and More

On January 30, 1835, Andrew Jackson attended a congressional funeral at the Capitol Rotunda when Richard Lawrence — an unemployed house painter — stepped forward and aimed at the then-president's heart. The suspect pulled the trigger twice during the incident, but both misfired.

It was the first known attempt to assassinate a U.S. president.

Then-newly inaugurated James Garfield was shot to death on the morning of July 2, 1881, while at a train station in Washington, D.C.

Charles J. Guiteau drew his pistol as Garfield entered the station, soon firing two shots. The first one grazed at the then-president's right arm before the second hit the lower back.

Initial reports claimed Garfield would have survived after sustaining the gunshot wounds, but his doctors allegedly handled the case so poorly that it led to his death on September 19, 1881. He was only the president for 200 days.

William McKinley died on September 14, 1901, days after he was fatally shot at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, N.Y., by Leon Czolgosz.

The killer was executed by electrocution at New York's Auburn Prison on October 29, 1901.

Before the sentence was carried out, Czolgosz said, “I killed the president for the good of the laboring people, the good people. I am not sorry for my crime.”

During a campaign in Milwaukee on October 14, 1912, Theodore Roosevelt informed the people inside the auditorium, "Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible. I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot.”

The bullet passed through a copy of the 50-page speech he was holding before hitting his chest. He continued speaking while showing his bloodstained shirt, but he also credited his documents for saving him from a more fatal impact.

"The bullet is in me now, so I cannot make a very long speech, but I will try my best," he continued his speech before seeking medical treatment.

On February 15, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt escaped the assassination planned and carried on by Giuseppe Zangara. The suspect missed the then-president-elect and fired more shots, but he ended up killing Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak.

Giuseppe died by electrocution on March 20, 1933.

Harry Truman became the president after Franklin's death, but he also almost faced the same fate when Puerto Rican nationalists Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo tried to kill him while he was at Blair House in Washington.

Secret Service Agent Leslie Coffelt managed to kill Griselio but was mortally wounded afterward.

Gerald Ford dealt with assassins twice.

The first incident happened on September 5, 1975, when Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme attempted to assassinate the president in Sacramento, Calif., but misfired.

Days later, on September 22, 1975, Sara Jane Moore attempted to shoot Gerald but missed.

On March 30, 1981, John Hinckley Jr. fired shots at Ronald Reagan while the then-president was exiting the Hilton Hotel in Washington. Four people, including Ronald and Press Secretary James Brady, were wounded.

The suspect was later found not guilty of attempted murder on account of insanity. Per reports, he wanted to impress Jodie Foster by shooting Ronald.

John Jr. spent decades in a mental institution before being released from court supervision in 2022.