Former President Trump Has Been Targeted in Assassination Attempts Before

On July 13, 2024, Former President Donald Trump was speaking at a political rally when what appeared to be gunshots rang out over the crowd. Trump was seen ducking behind his podium as Secret Service agents ran onstage to protect him. In the immediate aftermath, it was assumed that Trump had been shot at the rally by someone who intended to assassinate him — though that has not been confirmed.

Many U.S. Presidents have been the targets of assassination attempts over the history of the country, and as it turns out, Donald Trump himself also had a number of attempts on his life throughout his presidency. Here's more information on those events.

During a Trump rally in Las Vegas, Nev., a British national named Michael Steven Sandford attempted to grab a police officer's gun. He was arrested, and upon his arrest, admitted that his intention had been to assassinate Trump with the gun. He was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison but was ultimately released to the U.K. after 11 months.

This attempt also in Mandan, N. Dak. during a visit Trump made to rally public support. A man named Gregory Lee Leingang stole a forklift from an oil refinery and began driving it toward then-President Trump's motorcade. The forklift jammed and Leingang fled on foot before being arrested. He admitted that he had planned to use the forklift to flip Trump's limo over. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

This attempt was made by a man affiliated with ISIL, but his name has not ever been revealed. He was arrested in November of 2017 in Rizal Park, Manila. He reportedly had a plan to assassinate Trump during the ASEAN Summit. Luckily for Trump, the Secret Service had suspicions of an attack and were on high alert during that time. Before Trump's plane even landed in the Philippines, they had tracked down the would-be assassin and arrested him.