1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 1: Well, politics can get really heated, especially in a presidential 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: election year. As we've seen this summer. Four presidents have 3 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:11,159 Speaker 1: been assassinated, and there have been nine unsuccessful attempts on 4 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:15,280 Speaker 1: the lives of presidents or candidates, but one president, in fact, 5 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:18,320 Speaker 1: the only one that was never elected to office, had 6 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:22,800 Speaker 1: two attempts on his life within seventeen days, neither successful. 7 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: I'm Patty Steele assassination attempts and turning down the heat. 8 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:34,839 Speaker 1: That's next on the backstory. We're back with the backstory. 9 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 1: Donald Trump narrowly avoided assassination when he was shot during 10 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:43,319 Speaker 1: a campaign rally in Pennsylvania this summer. The bullet went 11 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: through his ear but missed his skull by a fraction 12 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 1: of an inch. Why because he had just turned his 13 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 1: head during the speech to look at a chart about 14 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:58,600 Speaker 1: illegal immigration, taking himself out of the bullseye. In US history, 15 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 1: four presidents have been assassinated, including Abraham Lincoln in eighteen 16 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:08,000 Speaker 1: sixty five, James Garfield in eighteen eighty one, William McKinley 17 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:10,959 Speaker 1: in nineteen oh one, and of course John F. Kennedy 18 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty three, and as far as candidates go, 19 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:19,560 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty eight, Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy 20 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: was assassinated late at night following his speech in la 21 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:28,400 Speaker 1: But there were at least nine attempted assassinations on the 22 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: lives of presidents or candidates in our history, only one 23 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: of which left the victim badly wounded. George Wallace, an 24 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:40,120 Speaker 1: old school's Southern Democrat, was running for president when he 25 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:43,760 Speaker 1: was shot during a campaign stop in Maryland in nineteen 26 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 1: seventy two. He was left paralyzed from the waist down 27 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 1: going back once again. There was an earlier attempt on 28 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 1: the life of President Lincoln. After he was elected, but 29 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: days before his inauguration, he was headed to Washington along 30 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 1: the Way Way, he made stops to try to reassure 31 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:06,040 Speaker 1: a nation on the brink of civil war. As his 32 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:10,640 Speaker 1: train headed east from Illinois, word came via Alan Pinkerton, 33 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 1: Lincoln's head of security, that a southern organization was planning 34 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 1: an assassination attempt. When the train stopped in Baltimore, Maryland 35 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:24,079 Speaker 1: than a slave state. Pinkerton and his top agent, Kate Warren, 36 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:27,639 Speaker 1: the first female detective in America by the way, went 37 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:32,040 Speaker 1: under cover, and they infiltrated the conspirators to learn their plans. 38 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 1: Pinkerton wanted Lincoln to immediately and of course secretly switch trains, 39 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 1: but true to form, Lincoln first wanted to show up 40 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:44,520 Speaker 1: for a speech in Philadelphia. During this speech, knowing there 41 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 1: was a plot to kill him, he described the principle 42 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,600 Speaker 1: of liberty in the Declaration of Independence, and he said, 43 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:56,000 Speaker 1: if this country cannot be saved without giving up that principle, 44 00:02:56,560 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 1: I would rather be assassinated on this spot than under it. 45 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:04,680 Speaker 1: That night, he managed to slip away, foiling the first 46 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 1: attempt on his life. Other presidents who escaped death by 47 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:13,720 Speaker 1: an assassin included Teddy Roosevelt, who was shot while campaigning 48 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:17,800 Speaker 1: for a third term. What saved him folded papers and 49 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: a metal glasses case in his pocket blunted the bullet's impact, 50 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:26,399 Speaker 1: and he wasn't really hurt. Then there's Franklin Roosevelt as 51 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:29,640 Speaker 1: President elect. He had just given a speech outdoors in 52 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 1: Miami when shots rang out. Fdr not hurt, but the 53 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 1: mayor of Chicago traveling with him was killed. And Harry 54 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 1: Truman was living at Blair House while the White House 55 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:45,320 Speaker 1: was being redone in late nineteen fifty two, gunmen broke in, 56 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:49,400 Speaker 1: shots were fired, killing one police officer and one attacker, 57 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:54,040 Speaker 1: but Truman was unhurt. Ronald Reagan also shot while in 58 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:58,080 Speaker 1: office by a guy trying to impress actress Jody Foster. 59 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:02,720 Speaker 1: Mister Reagan fully reach covered. Three other people, though, were shot, 60 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:07,240 Speaker 1: including his press secretary James Brady, who was partially paralyzed 61 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 1: as a result and died from his wounds a full 62 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 1: thirty years later. And George W. Bush was at a 63 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:17,160 Speaker 1: rally in Eastern Europe in two thousand and five when 64 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,080 Speaker 1: a hand grenade was thrown toward him, but he was 65 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:23,839 Speaker 1: triply protected, first by a bad throw it landed one 66 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:28,480 Speaker 1: hundred feet away, second by a bulletproof barrier, and third 67 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:32,800 Speaker 1: the grenade didn't go off. But Gerald Ford, the only 68 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:37,640 Speaker 1: US president never actually elected to office, survived not one, 69 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:46,000 Speaker 1: but two assassination attempts. The mid seventies were filled with 70 00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:51,159 Speaker 1: dramatic political upheaval. Ford had stepped into office after Richard 71 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: Nixon was forced to resign due to the Watergate scandal. 72 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:58,159 Speaker 1: As he tried to steady the ship, he faced two 73 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 1: assassination attempts again within seventeen days. First, on September fifth, 74 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:07,359 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy five, he was in California to give a 75 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:10,479 Speaker 1: speech and meet with Governor Jerry Brown. As he walked 76 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:14,040 Speaker 1: out of his hotel, Lurking in the crowd was Lynette's 77 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:18,680 Speaker 1: Squeaky Frome. She was a devoted follower of Charles Manson. 78 00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:21,839 Speaker 1: She was dressed in red and armed with a cult 79 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:25,760 Speaker 1: forty five pistol. Squeaky pushed her way through the crowd. 80 00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:29,480 Speaker 1: She raised her gun and she pointed directly at Ford, 81 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:34,080 Speaker 1: but luck was on President Ford's side. Turns out she'd 82 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 1: forgotten to put a bullet in the gun's chamber, so 83 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:39,880 Speaker 1: it didn't fire, and the Secret Service wrestled her to 84 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:45,320 Speaker 1: the ground. Manson's followers were devoted and Ford's luck held out. 85 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:49,680 Speaker 1: Just seventeen days later, on September twenty second, nineteen seventy five, 86 00:05:49,839 --> 00:05:54,240 Speaker 1: in San Francisco, radical and mentally unstable would be assassin 87 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:59,159 Speaker 1: Sarah Jane Moore, a former FBI informant, approached Ford as 88 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 1: he once again and was leaving his hotel, this time 89 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:06,279 Speaker 1: the Saint Francis in San Francisco. As Ford stepped out 90 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:09,520 Speaker 1: more in a crowd of onlookers, pulled out her pistol. 91 00:06:09,839 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: She took aim, she fired, but her aim was off 92 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:17,520 Speaker 1: much like Trump. The bullet whizzed past Ford's head, though 93 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:20,640 Speaker 1: it did not graze his ear, finally hitting a wall. 94 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:24,480 Speaker 1: What saved him was a Vietnam vet on the scene 95 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:28,960 Speaker 1: who noticed Moore's movements and immediately lunged at her just 96 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:33,400 Speaker 1: as she fired. That deflected her aim, and Secret Service 97 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:39,360 Speaker 1: agents pounced on her. Each one of those attempted assassinations 98 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:42,480 Speaker 1: have led to reforms and how the Secret Service tries 99 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:46,000 Speaker 1: to perfect the job of protecting our leaders at all costs, 100 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:49,560 Speaker 1: but those who want to attack still find a way. 101 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:53,040 Speaker 1: In every one of those cases, they were people not 102 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:56,880 Speaker 1: looked at as imminent threats and so were able to 103 00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:01,960 Speaker 1: get alarmingly close to their targets. What motivates individuals to 104 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:06,520 Speaker 1: try to kill some of the most powerful people in America. Well, 105 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:10,360 Speaker 1: despite the differences in their backgrounds and their motives, these 106 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: people shared a commentrait a willingness to resort to extreme 107 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:19,080 Speaker 1: violence to support their agenda, and that tells us something 108 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:22,360 Speaker 1: about the need to turn down the heat, both on 109 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:25,480 Speaker 1: the part of the media and in our own conversations 110 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:30,080 Speaker 1: about United States politics. Everybody has an opinion. You might 111 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:34,360 Speaker 1: not like it, but that's okay, because that's as Lincoln 112 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:45,040 Speaker 1: believed what always made democracy work. Hope you like the 113 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 1: Backstory with Patty Steele. I would love it if you 114 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:51,680 Speaker 1: would subscribe or follow for free to get new episodes 115 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: delivered automatically, and feel free to dm me if you 116 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:57,720 Speaker 1: have a story you'd like me to cover. On Facebook, 117 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:04,239 Speaker 1: It's Patty Steele and on Instagram Patty Steele. I'm Patty Steele. 118 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 1: The Backstories a production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, the Elvis 119 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:13,000 Speaker 1: Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer is Doug Fraser. 120 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 1: Our writer Jake Kushner. We have new episodes every Tuesday 121 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:19,400 Speaker 1: and Friday. Feel free to reach out to me with 122 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:23,480 Speaker 1: comments and even story suggestions on Instagram at reel Patty 123 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:26,920 Speaker 1: Steele and on Facebook at Patty Steele. Thanks for listening 124 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:30,239 Speaker 1: to the Backstory with Patty Steele. The pieces of history 125 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 1: you didn't know you needed to know.