The Internet Has Resurfaced This Funny Clip After Ronald Reagan's Assassination Attempt
"Violence is not the way to go," John Hinckley Jr. wrote on X. "Give peace a chance."
![Sara Belcher - Author](https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/fKuQr0niS/200x200/dsc9543-1699910132235.jpeg)
Published July 17 2024, 3:13 p.m. ET
![Ronald Reagan in front of the American flag](https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/1WnhKSokR/480x251/ronald-reagan-1721243007683.jpg?position=top 480w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/1WnhKSokR/640x335/ronald-reagan-1721243007683.jpg?position=top 640w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/1WnhKSokR/768x402/ronald-reagan-1721243007683.jpg?position=top 768w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/1WnhKSokR/1024x536/ronald-reagan-1721243007683.jpg?position=top 1024w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/1WnhKSokR/1280x670/ronald-reagan-1721243007683.jpg?position=top 1280w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/1WnhKSokR/1440x753/ronald-reagan-1721243007683.jpg?position=top 1440w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/1WnhKSokR/1600x837/ronald-reagan-1721243007683.jpg?position=top 1600w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/1WnhKSokR/2160x1130/ronald-reagan-1721243007683.jpg?position=top 2160w)
The failed assassination attempt of former president and current Republican candidate Donald Trump has led to a lot of discussions (and memes) online. Not only did the attempt result in an email blast supporting the former president from the sticker company Sticker Mule, but also the potential dissolution of Tenacious D.
One meme that wasn't expected to become as widespread as it has is an old clip from a speech former President Ronald Reagan gave, in which he jokes that the bullet from his assassination attempt "missed me."
![Ronald Reagan giving a speech at the Berlin Wall.](https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/3ujpxDR46/480x252/ronald-reagan-berlin-wall-1721243021707.jpg 480w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/3ujpxDR46/640x335/ronald-reagan-berlin-wall-1721243021707.jpg 640w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/3ujpxDR46/768x402/ronald-reagan-berlin-wall-1721243021707.jpg 768w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/3ujpxDR46/1024x536/ronald-reagan-berlin-wall-1721243021707.jpg 1024w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/3ujpxDR46/1280x670/ronald-reagan-berlin-wall-1721243021707.jpg 1280w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/3ujpxDR46/1440x754/ronald-reagan-berlin-wall-1721243021707.jpg 1440w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/3ujpxDR46/1600x838/ronald-reagan-berlin-wall-1721243021707.jpg 1600w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/3ujpxDR46/2160x1131/ronald-reagan-berlin-wall-1721243021707.jpg 2160w)
The Ronald Reagan "missed me" meme has gone viral.
Only two months after an assassination attempt, former President Reagan was giving a speech in West Berlin about opening up the Berlin Wall, when a balloon popped in the middle of his speech, sounding eerily similar to a gunshot. Despite the recent attempt on his life, former President Reagan did not flinch, instead he calmly said into the microphone, "Missed me," prompting laughter from the audience.
Users online are comparing former President Trump's photogenic moment after the assassination attempt to former President Reagan's "missed me" comment, noting how both men successfully brushed off their respective attacks.
John Hinckley Jr. sai,d "Violence is not the way to go."
John Hinckley Jr. is the man who attempted to assassinate former President Reagan in 1981, ambushing him as he was leaving a hotel in Washington D.C. Despite his own previous attempt to violently remove a president from office, he tweeted out a message encouraging "peace" following former President Trump's assassination attempt.
"Violence is not the way to go," Hinckley wrote. "Give peace a chance."
Of course, the comments on Hinckley's post are filled with other X users calling out the hypocrisy of the statement.
"That's nice, a little late, but nice nonetheless," said one X user.