Before Charlie Kirk, How Many Republican Presidents Were Assassinated In The USA? From Lincoln To Trump – Some Escaped

Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist, was shot dead at a Utah college event on Thursday, Sept 11, 2025. He was a close ally of United States President Donald Trump.

Kirk is closely associated with the Republican Party and has written several books and pamphlets, including Campus Battlefield (2018) and The MAGA Doctrine (2020).

US President Donald Trump on Friday announced that the suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, had been taken into custody in connection with Kirk’s killing.

Kirk was not the only Republican leader who was assassinated in the United States of America. There is a long list of Republicans who were targeted and either killed or survived. Donald Trump was one of those who was shot last year, but fortunately, he survived the assassination attempt.

Here is the list of Republican leaders who were assassinated

Leaders Who Were Assassinated

1. Abraham Lincoln – Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States of America. He was one of the Republican leaders who was shot on April 14, 1865, by John Wilkes Booth in Washington, D.C. and the next day, he died on April 15, 1865.
2. James A. Garfield – He was the 20th President of America. The assassination was attempted on July 2, 1881, by Charles J. Guiteau in Washington, D.C. He died on Sept 19, 1881, after an infection.
3. William McKinley – McKinley was the 25th President of America. He died on Sept 14, 1901, after he was shot on Sept 6, 1901, by Leon Czolgosz (anarchist) in New York.

Republicans Who Survived The Assassination Attempt

1. Theodore Roosevelt – He was initially a Republican leader and later became a Progressive candidate. Roosevelt was shot in the chest on Oct 14, 1912, by John Schrank, but survived the attack.
2. Ronald Reagan – Reagan was a former Hollywood actor and the 40th President of America. He was shot on March 30, 1981, by John Hinckley Jr. in Washington, D.C. He was seriously wounded but later survived.
3. Donald Trump – Trump is currently serving as the 45th President of America. On July 13, 2024, he was shot during an election campaign in Butler, Pennsylvania. The bullet grazed his ear, but he survived.
4. Charlie Kirk – Kirk was a conservative activist who was closely associated with the Republican Party. He was shot dead on Sept 11, 2025. 

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