The many attempts to assassinate Donald Trump | ASSASSINS

Key Concepts

• Almost Assassins: A special episode series focusing on unsuccessful assassination attempts throughout history.
• Threat Categorization: A three-tiered system for classifying threats against public figures:
  1. Idle Threats: Social media posts or casual remarks expressing hatred.
  2. Direct Hate Mail: Sending letters or mail directly to the target with hateful or threatening content.
  3. Physical Attempts: Taking concrete, physical steps towards executing a plan to harm the target.
• Ricin: A highly toxic protein derived from castor beans, capable of causing death in as little as three days with no known antidote. Historically used by the KGB.
• Trump Derangement Syndrome: A term used by some Republicans to describe the idea that intense hatred for Donald Trump can lead to mental illness.
• Deep State: A conspiracy theory suggesting a clandestine network of unelected government officials or powerful individuals secretly manipulate or control government policy.
• Rival Factions Theory: A conspiracy theory suggesting that the July 2024 assassination attempt was orchestrated by rival factions within the Republican party, possibly to promote figures like JD Vance.

Introduction to "Almost Assassins"

The discussion introduces "Almost Assassins," a special episode format within the "Assassins" podcast, dedicated to exploring historical near-miss assassination attempts. The focus of this episode is on the multiple attempts made on the life of Donald Trump, particularly highlighting that the widely publicized July 2024 Pennsylvania rally shooting was not the first.

Categorization of Threats Against Donald Trump

The podcast categorizes threats against Trump into three levels:

1. Idle Threats: People expressing hatred for Trump on social media or to friends. While not directly actionable, these are noted as the lowest level of threat.
2. Direct Hate Mail: Individuals sending letters or hate mail directly to Trump. Even sending a letter with a death threat can lead to being treated as a "person of interest" by authorities.
3. Physical Attempts: This category involves individuals taking physical steps towards executing a plan to harm Trump, which is the primary focus of the episode. There have been seven such physical attempts in total, including the Pennsylvania rally.

Specific Assassination Attempts

1. The July 2024 Pennsylvania Rally Shooting

• Event: Occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania, just two days before the Republican National Convention. Donald Trump's speech was interrupted by gunshots.
• Immediate Aftermath: Trump instinctively touched his right ear, dropped to the ground, and was swarmed by security. Security communications confirmed a shooter was down.
• Iconic Image: As blood streamed down the right side of his face, Trump raised a fist to the crowd, an image that became iconic for his presidential campaign and was widely considered a turning point.
• Shooter: Thomas Matthew Krooks, 19 years old, a local from an hour away.
• Motive: Remains largely unknown, described as a "big mystery." He was a registered Republican at the time but had previously donated a small amount ($15) to Biden's campaign, making his political views unclear.
• Mental Health: The only suggestion of a mental health issue was that Krooks had Googled symptoms of depressive episodes/disorder in the days prior. His father noted erratic behavior, but Krooks kept his political views and anger private.
• Proximity: The shot was a "near miss," a matter of inches, with Trump appearing to duck or tilt his head at the exact moment the bullet passed, grazing his ear. The shooter fired multiple shots, increasing the chances of a hit.

2. Ricin-Laced Hate Mail Attempts (Two Instances)

• Ricin Explanation: A highly potent poison, historically used by the KGB, capable of causing death in as little as three days with no antidote. A small amount is sufficient for infection.
• First Attempt (2018) - William Allen:
  • Individual: 39-year-old former Utah Navy veteran, with a criminal record including child neglect and attempted aggravated assault.
  • Motive: Told police he wanted to send Trump "a message," but never specified what it was.
  • History: Allen had a history of sending similar letters to other political figures, including Queen Elizabeth, Vladimir Putin, and the CIA (warning them about constitutional rights interference).
  • Effectiveness: Ricin letters have not been effective in recent times, raising questions about whether perpetrators are misled by pop culture (e.g., Breaking Bad) regarding its efficacy.
• Second Attempt (2020) - French-Canadian Dual Citizen:
  • Individual: A French-Canadian dual citizen, not American, who was in the US.
  • Motive: Expressed extreme political hatred for Trump on social media, posting that "somebody needs to shoot Trump in the face." The letter demanded Trump drop out of the presidential race and dubbed him an "ugly tyrant clown."
  • Arrest: Arrested while crossing into Buffalo, New York, found with guns, ammo, and knives, indicating a potentially more severe plan.

3. Nevada Rally Attempt (2016) - Michael Sanford

• Individual: 19-year-old British national, Michael Sanford, who had overstayed his visa, was unemployed, and living in his car.
• Method: Engaged a police officer in conversation at a Trump rally, then lunged for the officer's gun, attempting to wrestle it away. He did not bring his own weapon.
• Outcome: Overpowered and apprehended. He admitted to police his intent to kill Trump and vowed to try again if released.
• Mental Health: Courts determined this was a result of a mental health episode or psychotic break. Sanford had a history of being quiet and strange. The judge was sympathetic, noting he was "not an evil guy."
• Sentence: 12-month sentence, with early release back to the UK after a few months.
• Quotes: Sanford stated, "I was hearing voices telling me to kill Donald Trump... they were screaming at me and this to kill him." He also mentioned friends saying Trump "needed to be stopped" and was "going to destroy the country."
• Political Angle: Despite Sanford being an illegal immigrant, Trump did not capitalize on this incident for his anti-immigration rhetoric.

4. Florida Golf Course Shooting (September 2024) - Ryan Ruth

• Individual: Ryan Ruth, 58 years old.
• Method: Set up a "sniper nest" in bushes near Trump's golf course in Florida, where Trump was making an unscheduled stop. A Secret Service agent discovered the rifle muzzle sticking out of the bushes.
• Outcome: The agent fired, Ruth fled but was later apprehended. He had spent 12 hours scoping out the course.
• Motive/Ideology: No suggestion of mental illness. Ruth was initially a staunch Trump supporter in 2016 but changed his ideology. He was deeply upset by the Russia-Ukraine war (wanting to fight for Ukraine) and Trump's actions in the Middle East, as well as perceived threats from Russia and China. He became "super foreign policy focused."

5. Forklift Attempt (2017) - Gregory Leang Gang

• Individual: Gregory Leang Gang, 42 years old.
• Method: While Trump was in North Dakota, Gang, already on a crime spree (starting fires, stealing a truck, trespassing at an oil refinery), commandeered a forklift. He intended to find Trump's motorcade, locate the presidential limo, and "overturn it, flip the thing" to kill Trump.
• Outcome: He failed to drive the forklift out of the property and was apprehended for trespassing.
• Mental Health: Courts accepted he was in the grip of a psychiatric episode, having been diagnosed with bipolar and ADHD and on medication. This was likely a manic episode.
• Motive: No political angle indicated; described as a "disturbed guy doing disturbed things."
• Sentence: Reduced to time served plus a year of supervised release.

6. Alleged Iranian Government Assassination Plot (Last Year)

• Allegation: The FBI alleges that Iranian agents were sent to the US to assassinate Trump, an American journalist critical of Iran, and two Israeli citizens.
• Evidence: The FBI claims to have voice recordings of an Afghan national, recruited by Iran, discussing the plot, and evidence of money changing hands.
• Iran's Response: Iran denies the allegations as "stupid and baseless."
• Wider Operation: The FBI suggests this was part of a broader Iranian operation, including orchestrating the killing of Israeli citizens in Sri Lanka, indicating a global network. Two more individuals (an Afghan national and two American citizens) were arrested in connection with this.

FBI Obstruction Allegations

• Context: A bipartisan task force in the US House of Representatives investigated the July 2024 assassination attempt by Thomas Matthew Krooks.
• Allegation: Republican Representative Clay Higgins (Louisiana) criticized the FBI, alleging obstruction of the investigation.
• Specific Claim: Higgins stated that the FBI's action of "disposing of the body before he can see it" and "releasing the crime scene and scrubbing crime scene biological evidence" could only be described as "an obstruction to any following investigative effort."
• FBI Response: The FBI dismissed these claims as "completely unfounded" and "baseless."
• Impact: These allegations feed into existing conspiracy theories, especially given Trump's past claims that the FBI is "out to get him."

Conspiracy Theories Surrounding the July 2024 Shooting

Three major conspiracy theories emerged:

1. #Staged: Many believed the incident was too convenient for Trump's campaign, a "boon" that allowed him to appear strong and create an iconic poster. The perfect timing of his head movement and the distance of the sniper fueled this.
2. Deep State: Some believed it was a real assassination attempt orchestrated by a shadowy "deep state" within the government.
3. Rival Factions: This theory suggests the attempt was by rival factions within the Republican party, specifically the "hard-right Christian nationalist faction." Their preferred candidate was JD Vance (mentored by Peter Thiel), who was seen as more measured and predictable than Trump. This theory posits an attempt to remove Trump to install Vance as president.

Comparison with Previous Presidents

• Higher Seriousness: The seriousness and number of physical assassination attempts against Trump appear "substantially higher" compared to previous presidents, especially considering he only served one term.
• Obama Comparison: While Obama was a polarizing president and received many verbal threats and hate mail, few of these progressed to the level of physical attempts seen against Trump.
• Presidential Discretion: US presidents generally give little attention or "oxygen" to these threats, presumably to avoid encouraging copycat activities. Trump has also been relatively quiet about these attempts, which is noted as unusual given his tendency to engage with political rivals and seek media relevance.
• Conclusion: The attacks against Trump are considered more serious than those against presidents like Bush, Clinton, Obama, or Biden.

Synthesis/Conclusion

The episode reveals a striking number and variety of physical assassination attempts against Donald Trump, far exceeding those faced by recent predecessors. These attempts range from poison-laced letters and attempts to steal weapons at rallies to elaborate sniper setups, a bizarre forklift attack, and even alleged plots by foreign governments. A recurring theme among the perpetrators is underlying mental health issues, though some, like Ryan Ruth, were driven by a radical shift in political ideology, particularly concerning foreign policy. The July 2024 Pennsylvania rally shooting, while producing an iconic image, is shrouded in mystery regarding the shooter's motive and has been further complicated by allegations of FBI obstruction and a proliferation of conspiracy theories, including claims of it being staged or orchestrated by rival political factions. The sheer volume and diverse methods of these "almost assassinations" underscore the intense and often volatile political climate surrounding Donald Trump.