Kennedy, Reagan, Trump? When assassination victims profit

“I am appalled that violence is getting out of hand like this. What kind of country is this?” complained US Democrat Mike Mansfield after the shooting of the presidential candidate-to-be. Shortly after midnight, Sirhan Sirhan fired eight times at Bobby Kennedy, brother of the also assassinated former US President John F. Kennedy. He died one day later on June 6, 1968 – exactly two months after the fatal assassination of Martin Luther King.

“We resolve our differences at the ballot box. That’s how we do it – at the ballot box, not with bullets,” says Joe Biden now, 56 years later, after his opponent Donald Trump narrowly survived an attack during a campaign rally. But the US president’s words are more of an incantation than reality – as the acts of violence against the Kennedys and the black civil rights activist show.

“Centimeters away from a civil war”

Unlike many other politicians (and a spectator in the audience in Butler, Pennsylvania), Trump survived the assassination attempt. Arie Perliger hardly wants to imagine what would have happened if the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, had aimed his rifle just a tiny bit to the right: “My first thought was that we were only a few inches away from a possible civil war,” says the extremism researcher in the star-Interview.

This horror scenario is of course still possible for the polarized USA, but far less dramatic consequences are also conceivable – each of the many assassinations of political leaders has shifted the coordinates of the political conflict. Sometimes more, sometimes less violently:

The first prominent fatality in US politics was Abraham Lincolnwho was assassinated in 1865 in Ford’s Theater in Washington – just a few days after the end of the Civil War. The abolitionist actually wanted to expand the rights of African Americans, especially for black soldiers. But this did not happen. His successor in office, Andrew Johnson, blocked every one of these attempts. Lincoln’s death thus delayed the process of equal rights.

William McKinley was the 25th President of the USA and was assassinated by an anarchist in 1901 after a speech. McKinley did not die immediately after the assassination attempt, but later from gangrene. What was remarkable was not so much the political consequences of his death, but his successor: On September 14, Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as President at the age of just 42.

Roosevelt is considered the first “modern” president of the USA. In 1906 he was the first American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, and the teddy bear was named after him. He was also shot in 1912, but survived the assassination attempt. To this day, Roosevelt is considered a popular former head of state.

JFK’s successor pushed through the Civil Rights Act

Unlike after Lincoln’s death, important reforms only began after the death of John F. Kennedy The 35th US President was shot dead in Dallas in 1963 while driving through the city. The political agenda of the extremely popular young Democrat became almost irresistible to a large proportion of Americans after the attack. For years, Kennedy and the civil rights movement had tried in vain to end discrimination against blacks. JFK’s successor Lyndon B. Johnson then succeeded in pushing through the Civil Rights Act proposed by Kennedy.

A few months before Kennedy’s assassination, a black pastor and civil rights activist gave one of the most famous speeches in recent history: At the “March on Washington,” Martin Luther King in front of 250,000 participants he uttered the now legendary words “I have a dream”. 18 months later he received the Nobel Peace Prize, and four years later he was shot by a racist in Memphis.

This death also shocked the country. In more than 100 cities, people took to the streets, and riots and clashes broke out. 40 people died and thousands were injured. A few days after the attack, the US Congress passed a law that would give blacks the same rights as whites when it came to renting and buying houses. A “Black Power demonstration” was also planned in faraway Berlin, but it was overshadowed by the violent death of student leader Rudi Dutschke.

After the turbulent 1960s, some calm returned. But it did not last very long. US President Gerald Ford survived two attempts on his life in less than three weeks in 1975. But he was not injured. Unlike the governor of the US state of Alabama, George Wallacewho was shot three years earlier and was paralyzed afterwards.

Ronald Reagan became the most popular US president after the assassination

Also Ronald Reagan survived an assassination attempt in March 1981. The former Hollywood star had only been in the White House for two months when 25-year-old John Hinckley opened fire on the US President. A stray bullet struck Reagan down and he had to undergo emergency surgery. But just 26 days later he was back in power.

Reagan’s popularity rose sharply after the assassination, and three years later he was re-elected with almost 60 percent of the vote. In his second term, he negotiated disarmament treaties with the Soviet Union; many Americans, especially conservatives, consider him to be the best president of all time.

It is not yet clear whether Donald Trump, his policies or both will benefit from the assassination attempt on the former president – but it is likely. The already iconic image of the shot Republican with his fist raised should serve as confirmation of Trump’s image as a fearless fighter.

Sources: DPA, Reuters, , ,