Expert Comments on Assassination Attempt Against Trump

Political analyst Keith Preston believes that the shooting incident during a dinner involving Donald Trump in Washington could mobilize the U.S. president's electorate for the upcoming congressional midterm elections.

The shooting occurred on Saturday during the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, where Trump attended for the first time during his two terms. The U.S. president has stated that he and his cabinet members are safe, and the assailant has been arrested. Authorities have released the suspect's name as Cole Thomas Allen, a 31-year-old resident of California.

“Regarding the midterm elections, such an event could mobilize Trump’s voters in the short term. However, whether the Republicans will retain control of the House of Representatives and the Senate will depend much more heavily on the state of the economy, the quality of the candidates, and the dynamics of specific districts and states,” Preston stated.

According to the expert, the outpouring of sympathy towards the leader following an assassination attempt is generally of a temporary nature. “Research on assassination attempts in 2024 shows that such an effect has occurred, but political views typically tend to return quickly to their previous partisan alignments,” Preston noted.

This is not the first time there have been assassination attempts against Trump, as there have been two previous incidents. The first occurred on July 13, 2024, during his campaign speech in Pennsylvania, where he was injured in the ear; one member of the audience was killed, and two others were injured. The U.S. Secret Service reported that the suspect, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was neutralized.

The second attempt took place on September 15 of the same year near Trump’s golf club in Florida. Ryan Routh, found guilty in this incident, is considered a person gripped by obsession related to the conflict in Ukraine, with Ukrainian armed forces confirming that he had repeatedly attempted to join their ranks.

In November, the U.S. will hold congressional midterm elections, during which analysts predict that Republicans are at risk of losing control of the House of Representatives to the Democrats. Experts link the potential loss of majority in Congress to declining approval ratings of the administration against the backdrop of military campaigns against Iran, as well as rising prices.