The aftermath of assassination attempts: political violence in the US and where to go from here

The United States is no stranger to political violence; it is well acquainted with the concept, especially in recent years. 

On Saturday, July 13, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, opened fire at a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. One of his bullets grazed Trump’s right ear. The Associated Press reported that three people were injured, including the former president, and one person was killed. Crooks was shot and killed by a Secret Service agent. His motive is still unclear and he had a clean record before this occurrence.  

Crooks’ was the first almost successful attempt on a president’s life in 19 years. The most recent major assassination attempt on a president occurred in 2005 when Vladimir Aruytunian threw a grenade at former President George W. Bush and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili. Crooks’ attempt on Trump’s life was the closest anyone had gotten to taking a president’s life in recent memory, and it came as a shock to the country due to the significance and relative rarity of such an event. 

And then it happened again. 

Less than three months after the Crooks’ attack, shots were fired at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while Trump was golfing, as reported in a press release from the Office of Public Affairs in the U.S. Department of Justice.  

58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh was spotted by a Secret Service agent poking his rifle through the fence by the bushes on the course. When caught, the agent shot at Routh, who fled the scene, eventually being caught on I-95. 

While Routh’s motive is not exactly known, he is a supporter of Ukraine’s efforts in the war against Russia and critical of Trump’s handling of it, going so far as to spend several months in Kyiv attempting to get foreign soldiers on the front lines, as NPR reported. 

Routh currently awaits trial facing multiple charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and assaulting a federal officer. 

Despite the attack on Bush being the most recent presidential assassination attempt, the attempt that most aligns with the attacks on Trump was former President Ronald Reagan’s attack.

On March 30, 1981, John Hinckley Jr. fired six shots as Reagan was leaving the Washington Hilton Hotel. Reagan was struck in the ribs and the bullet then entered his lung. Three other people were also injured–including his press secretary James Brady. 

Unlike Trump’s would-be assassins, Hinckley had a very clear motive: he was looking to win the affection of Jodie Foster after executing a similar plot to that of Taxi Driver, a movie she starred in. Hinckley was acquitted by reason of insanity at his trial and was sent to St. Elizabeth’s mental hospital. 

Although political violence is often equated with assassinations, the 2021 insurrection on Jan. 6 also demonstrates a concerning trend in American politics. 

Dr. Maria Fanis is an Associate Professor of International Relations and Political Science at Ohio University, and her research specializes in comparative foreign policy and global security. 

When asked to define political violence, she defined it as “acts that employ organized means of violence outside the state apparatus; deinstitutionalized forms of violence.”  

Fanis suggested that acts of political violence are incredibly damaging toward civilians because they sow mistrust in our established democratic processes and elected officials, and this mistrust and uncertainty shakes the foundations of the nation’s identity. 

“The identity of this nation has been inextricably linked to democracy, republicanism and democratic principles and liberal values,” she said. “For me, it is very shocking to see that this undermining of democracy could be taking place in a country where either superficially or indeed at a more profound and deeper level, people associate with each other via the mechanism of democracy.”

When asked what she thought would be needed to bridge the gaps between two starkly divided ends of the political spectrum, Fanis said she was not sure how to find the road back, or if there was one. 

“If segments of the society believe that the way to communicate is not based on logic and documentation, but it is fine to use other means like physicality, then how can we even hope that these two parts can come together and exchange ideas?” she said. “One side wants to argue, wants to use logic, and the other side wants to see something closer to physical enforcement.”

The divide is also felt at the local level, with elected officials having to make their constituents feel safe after divisive remarks made on the campaign trail for this year’s presidential election. 

Athens Mayor Steve Patterson recalled joining other Ohio mayors in Springfield, Ohio, after Trump’s false claims about the city’s Haitian population during the second presidential debate. His statements resulted in bomb threats plaguing the city and straining the city’s law enforcement resources. 

Patterson understands how interconnected mayors are as public servants to the constituents in their cities. 

“Mayors have a real special role to play in that we manage our cities or towns or villages, so we’re closest to our population. We tend to know better what is needed to keep your community safe and vibrant and growing,” he said. 

Patterson serves as the Second Vice President of the National League of Cities and as the president of the Mayor’s Partnership for Progress. Both organizations work to improve their constituents’ lives. 

In both roles, Patterson works with elected officials across Appalachian Ohio and the country as a whole. While he recognizes the contentious state the country is in, he still views his work with officials in different regions as strengthening ties between the areas. 

“There’s a real camaraderie with mayors, regardless of what your political affiliation is,” he said. 

So, where do we go from here?

The answer is frustrating because of its imperfection. However, slow, deliberate acts of change are a start.  

To Patterson, the answer starts with community building. He described Athens’ membership to the Strong Cities Network, an organization dedicated to combating polarization and protecting international human rights. Athens is one of 26 American cities in the network, out of a total of 247 cities across the globe. 

Patterson said he understands that Athens’ membership in the network, while a step in the right direction toward fighting political extremism, is still only one step. 

“We've got a lot of work to do in front of us, but we have at least started the larger conversations,” he said. 

Other more locally focused groups are also helping fight political polarization by informing voters on the logistics of the voting process and connecting them with their local candidates. 

The League of Women Voters of Athens County is one such group, as a local chapter of a national organization. Co-President Adriane Mohlenkamp has been a member of the League for eight years and served as co-president for five. 

When it comes to combating polarization at a local level, Mohlenkamp said the League’s work aids voters in making them more informed citizens. 

“I do think that the forums that we do [are] really helpful to voters in the sense that the candidates become accessible and you can see them as part of your community,” Mohlenkamp said. “Even the ones you don’t want to vote for necessarily, you can kind of see how they fit in in our part of our community.”

Unfortunately, the political polarization in the United States has reached such a point where experts are unsure how to proceed.  

As Patterson said, “We’re at a juncture in history where there’s a lot that we really need to be cognizant of in terms of getting right.”