Years from now, historians writing about American politics will surely mention a firebrand idealog who once ran for president.
They will recall that his rallies attracted thousands of followers who were treated to speeches filled with outlandish demagoguery. They will say he also attracted large numbers of protestors who accused him of being a racist. And history will record that this candidate was a lightning rod of controversy, so much so, that he became the target of death threats. They will be describing Donald Trump, but they’ll also be describing his bombastic soul mate from a half-century ago: George Wallace.
As a third-party candidate in 1968, Wallace made prejudice and bigotry the centerpiece of his presidential campaign. But the tone for that campaign had been set in 1963 when, during his inaugural address, Alabama’s new governor proclaimed, “Segregation today! Segregation tomorrow. And segregation forever!”. In 1968, Wallace’s slogan was “Stand Up for America”. That’s the year he shocked Washington insiders by running on a third-party ticket and winning five states while collecting 46 electoral votes. He ran again for President in 1972, this time as a Democrat, and was on a clear path to winning his party’s nomination, when he was gunned down at a rally in Maryland. Wallace was paralyzed for the rest of his life.
Unlike Wallace who had held elected office, Donald Trump is a newcomer to politics. Yet both men managed to position themselves as Washington outsiders. Trump has also made prejudice the centerpiece of his campaign, not so much against blacks, but against immigrants, especially Mexicans and Muslims. Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again”, channels Wallace, and is, to some people, code for “Make America White Again”. We already know that Trump’s xenophobic rhetoric has lead to violence by and against protestors, but the question is, will it also lead to violence against Trump himself? Could he suffer a similar fate as Wallace? There is evidence to indicate that the unthinkable is a possibility.
Last September, a private jet carrying five Saudi nationals was forced to land in Lebanon where the passengers were detained for questioning. During their investigation, Lebanese authorities seized one of the Saudi’s laptops, and attempted to read its contents. But the information was encrypted, so the computer was flown to Moscow where Putin’s tech team was able to unscramble the secretive material. In the process they uncovered documents containing Donald Trump’s entire travel itinerary and private security plans for the month of October. According to USA Today, Putin then warned Trump of what was believed to have been an assassination plot against the future Republican nominee.
Fortunately the Saudi attack was thwarted, but the candidate has faced at least two other attempts on his life that we know of.
At a rally in Ohio, Tommy DiMassimo made it up onto the stage to attack Trump, but Secret Service agents stopped him. According to CNN, the man later told authorities that he was prepared to become a martyr by killing Trump.
Then there was 19-year-old Michael Sandford, a citizen of the UK and current resident of New Jersey, who traveled to Las Vegas in hopes of assassinating Trump. While attending a Trump rally at Treasure Island Hotel, Sandford approached the candidate as if he was seeking an autograph or a handshake, in much the same way Arthur Bremer had done with Wallace back in 1972. Suddenly, Sandford lunged for a security officer’s gun, but was subdued and taken into custody. He told police that he had tried to take the gun, “to shoot Trump.” The young man wasn’t acting on impulse. Not only had he followed Trump around the country, but the day before the Vegas incident, Sandford went to a nearby shooting range to practice his marksmanship.
In addition to the Ohio and Vegas attacks, Trump is also the object of countless death threats on social media. “BigSpoon” (@schmuck_u) tweeted, “I’m anti-gun, but I’m thinking of buying one just to assassinate Trump”. “Kayne” (@thjnketh) said, “I’m gonna kill Trump. If I go to jail, I’m saving America”. Tianna McHenry (@metizzlefashizz) wrote, “Someone, anyone assassinate Trump and his offspring. I don’t care if this gets me on the FBI watch list. I f#*%ing hate the man”. And Henry Del (@ohhsnapitsdel) tweeted, “Who wants to go with me on a mission to assassinate Trump?”
Trump and his security team take these and other threats seriously. According to InfoWars.com reporter Paul Joseph Watson, the candidate always wears a bulletproof vest at public events.
“You just can’t go around preaching hatred however you cloak it, however you dress it up, and somehow or another, it will not come back to bite you.” That statement was made by civil rights activist J.L. Chestnut. He was commenting for a PBS documentary about the Wallace shooting, but he might as well have been referring to Donald Trump. Chestnut went on to recall the reaction by African Americans to the attempted assassination. “Black folks in Alabama did not rejoice that Wallace had been shot, but there was a feeling that, ‘Well, the chickens have come home to roost'”.
There’s something to be gleaned from Mr. Chestnut’s observations, because the kind of rhetoric that led to George Wallace being shot in 1972, could also threaten Mr. Trump in 2016. It’s time for Trump to tone down his rhetoric, refrain from personal attacks, and resist the temptation to post childish, inflammatory tweets.
In many ways George Wallace and Donald Trump are already linked by history. I just hope there’s one thing they won’t have in common when all is said and done.
Trump and the Fear of Assassination
Years from now, historians writing about American politics will surely mention a firebrand idealog who once ran for president.
They will recall that his rallies attracted thousands of followers who were treated to speeches filled with outlandish demagoguery. They will say he also attracted large numbers of protestors who accused him of being a racist. And history will record that this candidate was a lightning rod of controversy, so much so, that he became the target of death threats. They will be describing Donald Trump, but they’ll also be describing his bombastic soul mate from a half-century ago: George Wallace.
As a third-party candidate in 1968, Wallace made prejudice and bigotry the centerpiece of his presidential campaign. But the tone for that campaign had been set in 1963 when, during his inaugural address, Alabama’s new governor proclaimed, “Segregation today! Segregation tomorrow. And segregation forever!”. In 1968, Wallace’s slogan was “Stand Up for America”. That’s the year he shocked Washington insiders by running on a third-party ticket and winning five states while collecting 46 electoral votes. He ran again for President in 1972, this time as a Democrat, and was on a clear path to winning his party’s nomination, when he was gunned down at a rally in Maryland. Wallace was paralyzed for the rest of his life.
Unlike Wallace who had held elected office, Donald Trump is a newcomer to politics. Yet both men managed to position themselves as Washington outsiders. Trump has also made prejudice the centerpiece of his campaign, not so much against blacks, but against immigrants, especially Mexicans and Muslims. Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again”, channels Wallace, and is, to some people, code for “Make America White Again”. We already know that Trump’s xenophobic rhetoric has lead to violence by and against protestors, but the question is, will it also lead to violence against Trump himself? Could he suffer a similar fate as Wallace? There is evidence to indicate that the unthinkable is a possibility.
Last September, a private jet carrying five Saudi nationals was forced to land in Lebanon where the passengers were detained for questioning. During their investigation, Lebanese authorities seized one of the Saudi’s laptops, and attempted to read its contents. But the information was encrypted, so the computer was flown to Moscow where Putin’s tech team was able to unscramble the secretive material. In the process they uncovered documents containing Donald Trump’s entire travel itinerary and private security plans for the month of October. According to USA Today, Putin then warned Trump of what was believed to have been an assassination plot against the future Republican nominee.
Fortunately the Saudi attack was thwarted, but the candidate has faced at least two other attempts on his life that we know of.
At a rally in Ohio, Tommy DiMassimo made it up onto the stage to attack Trump, but Secret Service agents stopped him. According to CNN, the man later told authorities that he was prepared to become a martyr by killing Trump.
Then there was 19-year-old Michael Sandford, a citizen of the UK and current resident of New Jersey, who traveled to Las Vegas in hopes of assassinating Trump. While attending a Trump rally at Treasure Island Hotel, Sandford approached the candidate as if he was seeking an autograph or a handshake, in much the same way Arthur Bremer had done with Wallace back in 1972. Suddenly, Sandford lunged for a security officer’s gun, but was subdued and taken into custody. He told police that he had tried to take the gun, “to shoot Trump.” The young man wasn’t acting on impulse. Not only had he followed Trump around the country, but the day before the Vegas incident, Sandford went to a nearby shooting range to practice his marksmanship.
In addition to the Ohio and Vegas attacks, Trump is also the object of countless death threats on social media. “BigSpoon” (@schmuck_u) tweeted, “I’m anti-gun, but I’m thinking of buying one just to assassinate Trump”. “Kayne” (@thjnketh) said, “I’m gonna kill Trump. If I go to jail, I’m saving America”. Tianna McHenry (@metizzlefashizz) wrote, “Someone, anyone assassinate Trump and his offspring. I don’t care if this gets me on the FBI watch list. I f#*%ing hate the man”. And Henry Del (@ohhsnapitsdel) tweeted, “Who wants to go with me on a mission to assassinate Trump?”
Trump and his security team take these and other threats seriously. According to InfoWars.com reporter Paul Joseph Watson, the candidate always wears a bulletproof vest at public events.
“You just can’t go around preaching hatred however you cloak it, however you dress it up, and somehow or another, it will not come back to bite you.” That statement was made by civil rights activist J.L. Chestnut. He was commenting for a PBS documentary about the Wallace shooting, but he might as well have been referring to Donald Trump. Chestnut went on to recall the reaction by African Americans to the attempted assassination. “Black folks in Alabama did not rejoice that Wallace had been shot, but there was a feeling that, ‘Well, the chickens have come home to roost'”.
There’s something to be gleaned from Mr. Chestnut’s observations, because the kind of rhetoric that led to George Wallace being shot in 1972, could also threaten Mr. Trump in 2016. It’s time for Trump to tone down his rhetoric, refrain from personal attacks, and resist the temptation to post childish, inflammatory tweets.
In many ways George Wallace and Donald Trump are already linked by history. I just hope there’s one thing they won’t have in common when all is said and done.