When viewed through the lens of history, the 2024 election year has varied from most in the past. An assassination attempt on former President and current Republican nominee Donald Trump days before the Republican National Convention (RNC) and current President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race about a month before the Democratic National Convention (DNC) have made this election year distinctive.
Assassination attempts are rare, especially on a presidential candidate. Most political assassination attempts in our country have targeted people who were in office at the time. But in 1912, Theodore Roosevelt was shot during his presidential campaign. In 1968, New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated after giving a campaign speech in a Los Angeles hotel. In 1972, Alabama Democratic Governor George C. Wallace was shot during his presidential campaign. Trump is only the fourth recorded candidate in our country to suffer an assassination attempt during his campaign.
Trump’s shooter was Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, PA, who shot at Trump as he addressed supporters during a rally in Butler, PA, on July 13. A Secret Service sniper killed Crooks after he fired his shots. Trump suffered a wounded ear, while two spectators were injured and former Fire Chief Corey Comperatore was killed. On July 24, the FBI issued a statement before Congress regarding the tragedy.
“The attempted assassination of the former president was an attack on our democracy,” FBI director Christopher Wray said in his testimony before Congress. “I recognize the congressional and public interest in this case.”
In July, public interest also shifted to Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 election. Candidates have dropped out of elections before, but this is the first time in our country that a candidate has withdrawn fewer than 200 days before the election date.
According to NBC News, Biden is the first candidate to drop out since Lyndon B. Johnson stepped down 219 days before the 1968 election, while Biden left with 107 days to go. The past two presidential candidates who dropped out, Johnson and Harry Truman in 1952, withdrew before their campaign officially began due to “low approval ratings [from their party].” Meanwhile, Biden’s withdrawal was “a selfless act,” NBC political analyst Chuck Todd wrote.
When Biden dropped out, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement on the Democratic ticket. Harris has since ben confirmed as the Democratic party’s nominee, making her the first female candidate of color in American history.
The Republican nominee, Trump, also is making history with his candidacy. Now that Biden has left the race, Trump is the oldest presidential candidate at 78 years old.
Not only has this election year had many historical differences, but artificial intelligence (AI) has also influenced the public’s perception of news.
“[A video] was manipulated to show President Biden making transphobic comments and a fake image of Trump hugging Anthony Fauci,” according to the MIT Technology Review. “It’s not hard to imagine how this kind of thing could change a voter’s choice or discourage people from voting at all.”
AI-driven manipulation has not been as much of a factor in past elections because of its recent and rapid development. Recently, there has also been a type of social media presence called a micro-influencer who focuses on a highly engaged, small audience and uses their platform to influence that group.
These micro-influencers became popular during the 2023 Supreme Court elections, where they “contributed to record voter turnout,” according to the MIT Technology Review.
Politics is ever-changing, and this election year is an example. Historically and through the media, the 2024 election demonstrates the constantly evolving nature of politics in America.
