Tom Nichols“Two assassination attempts within the space of about two months is certainly horrifying, but not unprecedented. In 1975, President Gerald Ford survived two assassination attempts within the space of less than three weeks. One of the assailants was a woman from West Virginia named Sarah Jane Moore. The other was Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a follower of murderer Charles Manson. Both women came very close to killing President Ford.”
“Ford was a fine man and an underrated president. He certainly had his enemies, especially after he pardoned Richard Nixon…”
“But Ford did not blame his opponents for the attempt on his life – he did not blame the United States, the courts or anyone else. And he did not use the attacks on Moore and Fromm to raise funds; Trump used them to pressure him into raising money within hours. Instead, Ford complied with a Secret Service request to wear a trench coat with a zippered Kevlar vest (which he found so uncomfortable he hated wearing it). He then returned to public life, campaigned for president, and was defeated.”
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