Rise of Political Violence in the United States

Political violence is on the rise in the United States, with experts documenting 21 acts of violence against politicians, their families, or their staffs since 2020, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project. The majority of these incidents have occurred since 2022, coinciding with the increase in dehumanizing language and images in American politics. Online culture and the ease of acquiring guns in many states have been identified as contributing factors to this trend.

Key Takeaways:

• Since July 2022, there have been 21 documented acts of violence against politicians, their families, or their staffs in the United States, with the majority occurring since 2022.
• The rise in political violence is linked to the amplification of dehumanizing language and images in American politics, as well as the ease of acquiring guns in many states.
• Experts have identified a shift from organized violence to attacks carried out by individuals acting alone, often fueled by despair and extremist ideologies spread online.
• The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project reports that a vast majority of these incidents have occurred since 2022, with motives often being difficult to comprehend.
• Thomas Crooks, who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a campaign rally in July 2022, had no definitive ideology, but instead had an AR-15-style rifle.
• Experts agree that the new ideology behind these attacks is nihilism, characterized by a sense of burn-it-all-down mentality and a feeling of learned helplessness.
• The number of threats against public officials has more than doubled in recent years, with the Capitol Police investigating 9,474 threats in 2022, up from 3,939 in 2017.
• Threats against judges have spiked dramatically since Trump's return to office, according to data from the U.S. Marshals Service.

Statistics:

• Since 2020, there have been 21 documented acts of violence against politicians, their families, or their staffs in the United States.
• The majority of these incidents (80%) have occurred since 2022.
• The number of threats against public officials has more than doubled in recent years, rising to 9,474 in 2022 from 3,939 in 2017.
• Threats against judges have spiked dramatically since Trump's return to office, according to data from the U.S. Marshals Service.

Sources:

• The New York Times
• Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project
• Institute for Strategic Dialogue
• Capitol Police
• U.S. Marshals Service