As of Oct. 11, the United States presidential election is just 18 days away and after a debate it’s clear that our country is divided. Nevertheless, on Sunday, Sept. 15, the United States faced a violent reality that had only been lived 14 times prior, an assassination attempt on one of the presidential candidates.
Republican nominee and former President Donald J. Trump recalled that he was playing golf with some of his acquaintances at his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, FL, when, according to an article from CNN, he “heard shots” in the distance. Junior Jonas Klein said, “As someone who follows politics, it’s sad that we constantly have to worry about if one of the candidates might get seriously hurt.”
According to an article from CNN, the secret service detail that was assigned to Trump at the time of the shooting noticed the shooter in the bushes approximately 300-500 yards away with the rifle barrel of his weapon poking out.
The shooter, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, was arrested and taken into custody after he fled the scene by car and was caught on the side of the highway. Routh has been labeled by CNN as a political extremist as he publicly voiced his support for Ukraine through rallies and protests.
Routh has written a self-published book, “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War,” which covered the war in Ukraine and geopolitics around the world where he portrayed Trump in a negative light, using words like “idiot” and “fool.”, according to The Washington Post.
This second assassination attempt comes just 64 days apart from the first, when Trump was shot at and struck in the ear during one of his rallies in Butler, PA. Political violence has ramped up in recent times with the influence of social media and the internet. Routh reportedly slandered Trump on his social media accounts on X and Facebook.
Students here are concerned for the health of the two candidates that the United States puts forth. Senior Thomas Mehler said, “From taking AP Government two years ago, It’s concerning that in today’s world, we are having the same violence and problems as they were centuries ago.”
Another student, senior Jack Sullivan said, “It’s hard because this is the first year I’ll be eligible to vote and I shouldn’t have to worry about whether one of the candidates I like is going to make it to election day.”
Both shooters who attempted to assassinate the Republican candidate were registered Republicans. According to CNN, Routh voted Trump into office in 2016. Routh’s criminal history is riddled with felonies and now he will face two new counts: possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have expressed gratitude to those Secret Service officers who protected Trump during both assassination attempts. Biden and Harris have expressed empathy toward Trump via private conversations and have worked to disencourage political violence, according to an article from The Hill.
