With about 50 days remaining until the U.S. presidential election, an assassination attempt targeting former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, occurred again on the 15th (local time) after two months, raising alarms over political violence response and candidate security.
Although the specific motive for the assassination attempt that occurred on this day, following the one in July, has not yet been confirmed, the election is proceeding as an extremely close contest, with both camps sharply opposing each other.
While former President Trump was playing golf at his own 'Trump International Golf Club' in West Palm Beach, Florida, Secret Service (SS) agents thwarted the assassination attempt.
The Secret Service detected the muzzle of an AK-47 rifle emerging from bushes about 300 meters away from former President Trump and took preemptive action, subsequently apprehending the suspect. The agency has classified this incident as an 'attempted assassination.'
Earlier, on July 13, former President Trump was shot at during an outdoor rally in Pennsylvania. He sustained an injury only to his right ear as he turned his head to look at a chart displayed on a large screen. The motive of the shooter, who was killed at the scene, has not yet been revealed.
Political violence in the U.S. presidential election poses a threat not only to the candidates but also to ordinary voters.
Former President Trump baselessly claimed during a debate that Haitian immigrants living in Springfield, Ohio, were eating neighbors' pets such as dogs and cats, which led to Springfield being threatened with a bomb attack. As a preventive measure, Springfield city closed its city hall building on the 12th.
In a CBS poll conducted in January regarding the November election, only 51% of respondents said that 'defeat in the election would be accepted peacefully.' The remaining respondents said 'there could be violence.' This reflects concerns that a situation similar to the January 6 riot, when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol after refusing to accept the 2020 election results, could occur again.
As division and confrontation intensify ahead of the election, the security of presidential candidates is expected to be further strengthened.
Vice President Harris and former President Trump plan to visit battleground states intensively to overturn the extremely close race before the November 5 election.
Following the July shooting incident involving former President Trump, the Secret Service expanded security zones by adding buffer zones during the party conventions. Since then, Trump has mainly held indoor rallies, which are relatively less vulnerable in terms of security, instead of outdoor rallies.
Additionally, Vice President Harris and former President Trump have installed bulletproof glass panels during outdoor rallies and delivered speeches from behind them.
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