A short history of attempts to assassinate the President of the United States

By Matthew Parish, Associate Editor

Tuesday 28 April 2026

The history of assassination attempts upon American Presidents is, paradoxically, both sparse and persistent — a thread that runs through the constitutional life of the United States, surfacing at moments of acute political tension. The rarity of successful assassinations belies the frequency with which attempts, plots and near-misses have arisen. The office of President, invested with symbolic and executive authority, has always attracted both reverence and hostility; and it is in that tension that the statistical record must be understood.

The historical baseline: rarity of success, persistence of attempts

Since the founding of the United States in 1776, four sitting Presidents have been assassinated:

That is four deaths out of 46 presidencies — roughly 8.7% of Presidents killed in office. Yet this figure obscures the broader pattern. Assassination attempts — whether serious, opportunistic or incompetent — have been far more numerous.

Historians generally identify over a dozen credible assassination attempts on sitting Presidents, alongside numerous plots and threats. If one extends the definition to include former Presidents and candidates, the number rises significantly. One estimate places at least 16 Presidents or major candidates as targets of assassination attempts, including modern figures such as Donald Trump.

The statistical ratio is therefore striking:

The decline in success reflects not a reduction in hostility, but an increase in protection — the professionalisation of the United States Secret Service, advances in intelligence, and layered security perimeters.

Survivors and the evolution of security

The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were the most dangerous periods. Between 1865 and 1901 three Presidents were killed in office. Thereafter although attempts continued, they were more often thwarted or survived.

The canonical modern case is Ronald Reagan, who was shot in 1981 but survived — the only sitting President to be wounded and live. Earlier still, Andrew Jackson survived the first recorded attempt when both pistols aimed at him misfired.

The pattern suggests a structural shift:

Indeed since 1963 — the assassination of Kennedy — no sitting President has been killed, despite multiple attempts.

Donald Trump and the contemporary resurgence of risk

The case of Donald Trump marks a return of visible political violence to the centre of American life. Unlike many predecessors, he has experienced multiple confirmed assassination attempts within a short period, reflecting both heightened political polarisation and the visibility of public campaigning.

The most significant incidents include:

These events already placed Trump amongst the most frequently targeted modern leaders. Yet the pattern has continued into his subsequent presidency.

On 25 April 2026 a gunman attempted to attack Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, firing shots and injuring a Secret Service agent before being stopped  . This incident has been described as at least the third assassination attempt against Trump in recent years.

Taken together, Trump’s experience suggests a contemporary anomaly:

In purely statistical terms, Trump has already experienced more attempts within a short timeframe than most twentieth-century Presidents combined.

Statistical interpretation: frequency versus success

If one aggregates the historical record, several patterns emerge:

The presidency as a focal point of political violence

The American presidency occupies a unique position: a single individual embodies the executive authority of a continental republic. This concentration of symbolism invites both reverence and antagonism.

Historically, assassination attempts have been motivated by:

In the modern era, an additional factor emerges — media visibility. An attempted assassination is no longer merely an act of violence; it is a global spectacle, instantly transmitted and interpreted.

Conclusion: continuity and transformation

Across nearly two and a half centuries, the United States has witnessed a persistent undercurrent of political violence directed at its highest office. Yet the statistical reality is reassuring: assassination attempts are far more common than successful assassinations.

The experience of Donald Trump — multiple attempts within a compressed timeframe — suggests that the frequency of attempts may be rising again, even as their success rate remains low. This reflects not a failure of security, but a transformation of political culture — one in which the symbolic stakes of the presidency have intensified.

The enduring lesson is therefore dual. The American system has proved resilient in protecting its leaders — but the persistence of attempts reminds us that political legitimacy, once contested with ballots, may yet be challenged by bullets.