President Donald Trump stood tall, stalwart, and amazingly calm as he fielded questions from the press in the wake of the third assassination attempt on his life in 21 months.
Advertisement
Fox News White House senior correspondent Peter Doocy had a two-part question for the president, but it was the second portion that elicited this profound response.
Doocy said, “I ask, respectfully: Why do you think this keeps happening to you?”
Trump was pensive and deliberate in his answer.
Well… you know, I’ve studied assassinations, and I must tell you that the most impactful people, the people that do the most, you take a look at the people… Abraham Lincoln, the people who have gone through this, where they got ’em. But, the people that do the most, the people that make the biggest impact, they’re the ones that they go after.
They don’t go after the ones who don’t do much because they like it that way. And when you look at the people who have, whether it was an attempt, or a successful attempt, they’re very impactful people. Just take a look at the names. They’re the big names. And, uh, I hate to say I’m honored by that, but I’ve done a lot, we’ve done a lot. We’ve taken this country and we were a laughingstock for years, and now we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world. We’ve changed this country, and there are a lot of people who are not happy about that. So, I think that’s the answer, Peter.
Advertisement
WATCH:
.@POTUS: “I’ve studied assassinations, and I must tell you, the most impactful people… the people that do the most, the people that make the biggest impact, they’re the ones that they go after.” pic.twitter.com/orvqAXSXXF
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 26, 2026
Our 40th president, Ronald Wilson Reagan, is the most recent example of a president who survived an assassination attempt, and went on to make an even more significant impact on the country, while bringing consequential change to the world. “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall!” is as iconic as “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
Both are rallying cries that changed the trajectory and transformed the direction of nations. We would have never heard those words from Reagan, and the Cold War might never have been brought to an end, had Reagan not survived that 1981 assassination attempt by John Hinckley, Jr., ironically, in front of the same Washington Hotel where the last attempt on Trump’s life occurred. The mentally disturbed Hinckley, craving the attention of actress Jodie Foster, used a .22 caliber revolver to blunt President Reagan’s impact. One shudders to think what might have become of America and the conservative movement if Hinckley had succeeded.
Advertisement
The impact of Reagan’s recovery and second term reflected his determination to leave a better America and a safer globe for the next generation, because it mattered.
“Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we’ve ever known.”
Read More: A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words — the Already-Iconic Photos From the WHCD Assassination Attempt
Hell Freezes Over As Media Reveals Remarkable Actions Trump Took After WHCD Shooting
In 1912, our 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt, was also almost taken out by an assassin’s bullet. On a campaign stop in Milwaukee, WI, while running for a third presidential term, Roosevelt was the victim of an assassination attempt by a man named John Flammang Schrankat, who shot the president in the chest. Thanks to Roosevelt’s metal glasses case and the 50-page manuscript of his speech, the force of the bullet was blunted. While it lodged in his chest muscles, it did not hit any vital organs. Roosevelt not only calmed the crowd and prevented them from killing Schrankat, but he refused medical attention and still gave his speech, bloody shirt and all. Pretty ballsy.
Advertisement
My father was named after the Rough Rider, so I have a special affection for this president for that reason, along with his other consequential actions. From anti-trust legislation, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Roosevelt Corollary (which is a close cousin to the “Donroe Doctrine”), the Panama Canal, to our network of national park systems and national monuments, it was the visionary and bullheaded Theodore Roosevelt who got these things done, despite the opposition. Part of Roosevelt’s philosophy and impact is embodied in this quote: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
In this year of America’s 250th anniversary, I expect that President Donald Trump will continue to work on consequential policies and actions to restore America to its people and leave a better future for the next generation.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.