Political violence at near-historic levels
While former President Donald Trump is the highest ranking official targeted by political violence, he's just one of hundreds attacked since January 6, 2021.
On Saturday, July 13, a suspected lone wolf attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a political rally near Butler, Pa. The man, now identified as a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pa., shot at least eight bullets into the crowd killing one man, Corey Comperatore, critically injuring two others, and hitting Trump in the ear. The former president reported feeling “fine” shortly after.

In the hours after the attack, many rushed to denounce political violence and express their support for Trump. And for good reason, too. The problem here isn’t in the condolences and condemnations, but in our country’s short-term memory problem. In many ways, Trump has played a large part in increasing political violence over the last decade.
A Reuters report published August 9, 2023, identified 213 cases of political violence since January 6, 2021, when thousands of pro-Trump Americans stormed the U.S. Capitol in what may be the largest example of political violence in the nation’s history.
Defined as “incidents linked to an election or a partisan political dispute, or premeditated acts driven by an identifiable ideology,” the report finds that political violence is at its highest level since the 1960s and 70s. The study distinguishes the present from the past, though, arguing that the 1960s saw leftwing actors largely targeting property, whereas today’s violence is often perpetrated by rightwing actors targeting people.

“Of the 14 fatal political attacks since the Capitol riot in which the perpetrator or suspect had a clear partisan leaning, 13 were right-wing assailants,” the Reuters report found. “One was on the left.” Post COVID-19 upheaval, election denial, and fears over the changing racial and ethnic demographics in America have worsened the situation.
Some of these instances of politically-motivated violence made national headlines, like in 2022 when failed Republican New Mexico state house candidate Solomon Pena organized shootings at four Democratic elected officials' households, and the far-right conspiracy theorist who attacked Paul Pelosi, husband of then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, with a hammer.
Other examples of political violence in recent years have included the white supremacist who killed 10 Black people in Buffalo, N.Y., vehicle ramming incidents during Black Lives Matter protests, and the stabbing death of a Las Vegas journalist by a Democratic public administrator.
Our political campaigns and messaging have been infected by this violent rhetoric, too.
In 2018, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-California) said she would ‘get’ Trump and encouraged supporters to harass his cabinet members. In 2020, then candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) published an ad showing her with a gun beside prominent progressive House Democrats. In 2021, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Arizona), shared an anime video to his twitter account showing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) being killed.

In November 2023, former President Donald Trump said he planned to “root out the Communists, Marxists, Fascists, and Radical Left Thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our Country, lie, steal, and cheat on Elections, and will do anything possible, whether legally or illegally, to destroy America, and the American Dream.” Trump, along with many Republican political leaders, routinely liken the Democratic party to the ‘radical left’ and call even moderate proposals by Democrats ‘marxist and communist.’
Most acts of political violence, according to Reuters, happen outside of the national news cycle. These feuds involve neighbors, community members, and sometimes friends, who, due to their disagreements–even perceived ones–choose violence.
Reuters accounts one such story of the November 5, 2022, shooting death of Anthony King in Okenna, Oh. His neighbor, 27-year-old Austin Combs, had banners saying ‘Make America Great Again’ and ‘Let’s go Brandon,’ among other conservative and far-right signs. Combs approached King, accused him of being a “Democrat,” and shot him dead in his yard.
Political violence isn’t new; and, although a Reuters/Ipsos poll in May 2023 found 20% of both Democratic and Republican respondents say political violence is “acceptable” if committed “to achieve my idea of a better society,” the political right has shown a propensity to inspire people to commit such violence.
Trump is now a victim of political violence. This problem has reached near-historic levels and must be dealt with resoundingly. Still, we cannot ignore how the former president, his political colleagues, and other political leaders have exacerbated the problem. After the dust settles, America needs to have a sincere conversation about who, or what, is leading so many to commit acts of violence to achieve their personal political goals. Trump may be the highest ranking official to face political violence, but its a problem tearing apart communities nationwide.