# Why are people calling this the second Trump assassination attempt? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [September 16, 2024, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347 "2024-09-16T15:29:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/1 "2024-09-16T15:29:59Z")
I’ve seen a number of people saying that this was the _second_ attempted assassination of Donald Trump. By my count, it’s the third. Have they forgotten the 2016 attempt? Do they figure it doesn’t count because the guy was arrested before he fired any shots? Or do they reset the count for every new election cycle? ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/2 "2024-09-16T15:41:27Z")
I suspect it’s because the 2016 attempt didn’t make much of a news splash, likely because the attempt was so ineffectual. I was not actually aware of until I did a search just now: > **[2016 Donald Trump Las Vegas rally incident](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Donald_Trump_Las_Vegas_rally_incident)** > > On June 18, 2016, at a rally for Donald Trump's 2016 United States presidential campaign in Paradise, Nevada, British citizen Michael Steven Sandford attempted to grab the service pistol of a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officer providing security for the event. Having failed to do so and having been arrested, Sandford claimed that he had wished to kill Trump to prevent him from becoming president. > Sandford was charged with disorderly conduct and with being an "illegal alien in possession of a... ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/3 "2024-09-16T15:42:40Z")
This is the first time I’ve ever heard of the 2016 event. Or else I just forgot about it. The local paper headline for this latest incedent was “Shots Meant For Trump, FBI Says”. What shots? Also, I see that DeSantis has suggested that federal investigators may have a conflict of interest in investigating this incident. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/4 "2024-09-16T15:42:48Z")
I had not heard of it either. It looks like the purported assassin never actually had a weapon in his hands near Trump, so maybe that doesn’t count. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/5 "2024-09-16T15:44:02Z")
If you don’t even BYOG, can you really call yourself an assassin? . (I also never heard of it before this thread) ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/6 "2024-09-16T15:53:39Z")
Actually if anyone is counting it looks like there have been a number of “security incidents” against Trump, including a couple of attempted poisoning attempts with actual poison (not hoaxes): > **[Security incidents involving Donald Trump](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_incidents_involving_Donald_Trump)** > > Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, has been involved in security incidents before, during, and after his time in office, including assassination threats and attempts. The first known attempt occurred before Trump was the official Republican nominee, at a campaign rally during the 2016 presidential election. The most significant incident was an attempt to assassinate Trump at a campaign rally during the 2024 presidential election, which resulted in two deaths (including the w... The poisoning attempts don’t appear to have gotten anywhere near Trump, though, which is probably why they also didn’t make a big news splash. They did result in serious charges and/or hefty prison sentences for the perpetrators though. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/7 "2024-09-16T15:57:31Z")
I have to say, the 2017 forklift attack attempt sounds… inventive. (On the wiki link, [Security incidents involving Donald Trump - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_incidents_involving_Donald_Trump)) And ambitious, given the armoured limosine he was attacking. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/8 "2024-09-16T16:06:18Z")
For every armor there is some weapon that can defeat it. For every weapon there’s some armor that can defeat it. Absent high quality intel about just how armored the presidential limo is, a forklift is not the stupidest attack vehicle for somebody to try. If this guy had brought e.g. a locomotive, instead I’m pretty sure he’d have won that fight. Of course the real stupid decision is trying at all. The rest is just details. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/9 "2024-09-16T16:10:14Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Of course the real stupid decision is trying at all. I think if you want to assassinate the US president you have to be suicidal (expect to die) if you hope to succeed. I think that is part of the security. If you try, you die. Weeds out a lot of wannabes. (Shit…I’m on a list now for posting this aren’t I?) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/10 "2024-09-16T16:10:17Z")
Okay, a quick recap of the 2016 attempt. A twenty year old Briton, Michael Sandford, had a history of mental problems. He went to a Trump rally in Las Vegas. He admitted his purpose for going there was to assassinate Trump. He had done some practice shooting at a gun range. His plan was to get past the checkpoints and into the rally by not carrying a gun in and then stealing a gun when he was inside. When he got in the rally, he struck up a conversation with police officer Ameel Jacob. This was about thirty feet from the stage where Trump was speaking. Sandford had observed that Jacob had his gun unsecured in his holster. Sandford grabbed for the gun. The gun stuck in the holster. Jacob and two police officers who responded were able to subdue and arrest Sandford. In my personal opinion, this qualifies as an assassination attempt. Sandford admits that he wanted to kill Trump. And he was carrying out a plan to kill Trump that could have succeeded. Lots of plans look bumbling in retrospect if they fail. But I don’t think Sandford’s attempt was less plausible than Thomas Crooks’ or Ryan Routh’s. I will concede that Gregory Leingang’s forklift plan was too silly to count as an assassination attempt. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/11 "2024-09-16T16:12:30Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > a forklift is not the stupidest attack vehicle for somebody to try I worked briefly in a container park. The fork lifts (Kalmars) were heavy lifters, but by no means fast. > **[Kalmar Heavy Forklift DCG180-540](https://www.kalmarglobal.com/equipment/forklift-trucks/heavy-duty-forklift-trucks-18-54-ton/)** > > Kalmar’s heavy-duty forklifts are designed for the heaviest, most challenging lifting operations. They are trusted by customers all around the world for their reliability, flexibility and precision in a wide variety of terminal and heavy-industry... I think Trump’s limo could easily outrun one, even in first gear. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/12 "2024-09-16T16:14:33Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > I think Trump’s limo could easily outrun one, even in first gear. Am I the only one who thought of this? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/y_PrZ-J7D3k/maxresdefault.jpg "Austin Powers Steamroller") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_PrZ-J7D3k) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/13 "2024-09-16T20:20:49Z")
I am not sure if this latest counts either. The idiot never even got close to firing at trump. Note he voted for trump 2016, but Biden is 2020. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/14 "2024-09-16T20:26:18Z")
As a former DOS employee, I had a pretty good idea of what goes into armoring a vehicle. It’s probably changed since 25 years ago, but I still won’t go into details other than to say there are basically two types: light-armored and fully-armored. I think the Secret Service also has a vehicle with a mounted minigun that pops up through the roof. That’s some serious firepower. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/15 "2024-09-16T20:50:33Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I think the Secret Service also has a vehicle with a mounted minigun that pops up through the roof. That’s some serious firepower. Can I get one for the next jackass in a lifted pickup that cuts me off on the interstate? Seriously, if the best you can get this guy on is felon in possession and possession of a gun with an obliterated serial number (both charges I’m okay with) really makes him sound like a mental case and not a threat. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/16 "2024-09-16T22:20:46Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I am not sure if this latest counts either. The idiot never even got close to firing at trump. > [@asterion](#): > > Seriously, if the best you can get this guy on is felon in possession and possession of a gun with an obliterated serial number (both charges I’m okay with) really makes him sound like a mental case and not a threat. Yes to both of these. But the answer to the thread question–“why are people calling this the second Trump assassination attempt?”–is that the “people” are the media, those who earn money from media-adjacent businesses, and those accepting what they hear without ever questioning. Motive: the story of this golf course gun-toter becomes IMPORTANT and SIGNIFICANT if it’s an assassination attempt. And it’s IMPORTANT and SIGNIFICANT that there was (we’re told) another assassination attempt within the past two months. And we all need to tune in (or click on) Important and Significant stories! Closer to reality: the right has made sure that there are millions of assault weapons floating around, and that even people with 100+ criminal charges against them have no trouble acquiring them. And that everyone in the US is being assured by the right that shooting others is a valid expression of political opinion. And this guy happened to have the fairly-realistic view that if Trump gets in, Ukraine becomes Putin’s property. And he didn’t like that. So he put a little effort into expressing his opinion in the right-wing-endorsed way. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2024, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/17 "2024-09-16T23:02:12Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Seriously, if the best you can get this guy on is felon in possession and possession of a gun with an obliterated serial number (both charges I’m okay with) really makes him sound like a mental case and not a threat. There’s also the puzzling question of how he knew Trump was there. This was an unscheduled stop, which is why the Secret Service hadn’t done a complete grounds check prior. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/18 "2024-09-17T00:03:41Z")
my guess is he got lucky - it’s not a stretch to know Trump is in that given area and that Trump likes to play golf there - it is a Sunday, and Trump had no other events planned. If Trump shows up - he gets his ‘shot’ - if Trump doesn’t show up - he just lost 1/2 a day. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/19 "2024-09-17T00:28:58Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Can I get one for the next jackass in a lifted pickup that cuts me off on the interstate? An RPG is ever so more satisfying. Without a partner though, it’s tricky to aim it out the window without getting a faceful of backblast. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347/20 "2024-09-17T00:56:53Z")
> [@simster](#): > > my guess is he got lucky - it’s not a stretch to know Trump is in that given area and that Trump likes to play golf there - it is a Sunday, and Trump had no other events planned. It’s also possible he’s been there before on days when Trump didn’t show up, and kept coming back until he did. I haven’t heard that possibility addressed yet. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-calling-this-the-second-trump-assassination-attempt/1007347.md?page=2)