Articles on Political assassination

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On March 30 1981, the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan (pictured here surrounded by a crowd of people after being shot in the lung) had already been captured by TV cameras, just a few metres from the spot where, 45 years later, Cole Tomas Allen attempted allegedly to kill Donald Trump. Ronald Reagan Presidential Library/AFP

Why Washington’s Hilton hotel connects Reagan and Trump: when violence becomes a test of power

Forty-five years apart, two assassination attempts on American Presidents rather uncannily happened at the very same location. This case of history repeating itself offers much food for thought.
A memorial for Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, is seen at the Minnesota State Capitol building on June 16, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. Steven Garcia/Getty Images

Violent extremists like the Minnesota shooter are not lone wolves

The lone wolf metaphor used to describe mass shooters misinforms views of extremists – and hampers law enforcement efforts to deter the violence.
President Ronald Reagan smiles and waves shortly before he is shot outside the Washington Hilton hotel in March 1981. Corbis via Getty Images

Trump’s second assassination attempt is shocking, but attempts on presidents’ lives are not rare in US history

While 4 presidents have been killed, many others have been victims of plots to end their lives − sometimes because of political anger, but many other times for incomprehensible reasons.

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