The bullet that former president Donald Trump said grazed his right ear was one of dozens aimed at U.S. presidents, presidential candidates and other prominent elected officials over nearly 200 years.
But Saturday’s assassination attempt, while shocking, is unlikely to have significant political or economic reverberations given the makeup of the American democratic system and the fact that it didn’t involve an incumbent head of state, researchers say.
“While it has been an event that has shaken up the nation, it’s not likely to have a great impact on either the outcome of the election or the U.S. economy,” said Zaryab Iqbal, a professor of political science and Jewish studies at Penn State University in University Park, Pennsylvania.
That’s evident, she said, in the fact that both the NASDAQ and Dow Jones Industrial Average continued to rise Monday as they have over the last few weeks.
“That tells you that people recognize that this is not an event that’s going to have a lasting impact on the political or economic well-being of the nation,” Iqbal said. “At best, an event like this temporarily derails focus on key issues. But ideally, it does not impact the ultimate outcome.”
At least 15 assassination attempts or assassinations have occurred in the U.S. since 1835. Four presidents have been assassinated, as were two presidential candidates. Meanwhile, numerous other attempts have been made on the lives of current and former presidents and other elected…
