Political violence rises in the United States

Political violence in the United States has reached its highest levels in over 50 years as of 2025. American citizens have seen the attempted assassination of current President Donald Trump, the assassination of podcaster and conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and the shooting of two Democratic senators, Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman, who were shot in their homes along with their spouses, killing Hortman and her spouse, all over the course of the last two years. This increase in violence is mostly attributed to the major division in political ideology between the Democratic and Republican Party. These parties are prone to frequent disagreements regarding abortion, gun control, healthcare, border security, and countless other policies, all of which have led to the political climate seen today. On top of this controversy, it is far easier now for people to spread their opinions. 

“[Political violence] is more mainstream now,” senior Riley Walsh said. “Because we have social media, a lot more people can say what they want and highlight their violent thoughts.” 

While the political environment in the U.S. has always been polarized, compromise between political parties has recently become far scarcer, leading to political violence. Despite this, there are still ways of finding common ground.

“If people could understand each other, there would be a lot less violence,” senior Layton Tashjian said. “Communication is key to understanding. If more people could share their opinions in a way that allows clear and mature conversations, there would be far more understanding.”

On Jan. 6, 2021, hundreds of “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) Republicans stormed the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., hoping to overturn the 2020 election in favor of Trump. This was after former President Joe Biden was elected, and many Republicans believed that the election was biased

“Lies about a stolen election provoked [the insurrection], stoking the flames of division, fear, and vilifying the other as the enemy,” AP Human Geography and AP World History: Modern teacher Robert Lacy said. “It was a purposeful attempt to divide us to the point where one person, though they legitimately lost, would hold onto power.”

With Trump’s support on social media, many MAGA Republicans attempted to alter the election’s outcome. During the insurrection, over 140 police officers and law enforcement officials were injured, as well as many MAGA Republicans, all of whom were later arrested. 

During a speech for the Trump campaign for the 2024 election, Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight shots at Trump, grazing his right ear. His motivations were unclear, but the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uncovered that he had been a registered Republican and had expressed his frustration with U.S. politics in school papers. Trump experienced another assassination attempt later that year when Ryan Routh set up in the bushes of Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, ready to shoot Trump. Investigations revealed that Routh did not want Trump elected president and planned on killing him to stop it.

 One of the biggest contributors to political violence is misinformation, as many individuals rely on one source of information, which can lead to partial truths and misleading facts.

“Do your own research,” Walsh said. “Don’t only rely on one mainstream media source or a certain politician…it is up to you, the individual.”

In the first six months of 2025, 150 politically motivated attacks took place, all of which resulted in either injuries or deaths. Two months after Routh’s assassination attempt, Trump was sworn into the presidency, setting the stage for one of the most politically violent years since the civil rights movement.

“Political violence and extreme rhetoric in the United States today mirrors the turbulent 1960s,” ABC News contributor Mark Updegrove said on Sept. 11, 2025.

Since the beginning of 2025, Democratic Minnesota Senators Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman were shot in their homes along with their spouses, resulting in the deaths of Hortman and her spouse, political activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated during a speech at Utah College, Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s mansion in Harrisburg was fire-bombed, though he and his family escaped and survived, along with countless attacks targeted at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and ICE facilities. 

Political violence has been going on for as long as this country has existed, and at the root of this problem is the inability to communicate with one another over controversial issues. 

“Once political violence starts toward the other side, you’re no longer listening to their opinions, which therefore leads to a lack of change and a lack of open-mindedness,” Walsh said. 

Many Americans’ lives have been taken because of political violence, but there are people and organizations working toward a better future. In the U.S. right now countless organizations exist dedicated to bridging the political divide, such as the Bridging Divides Initiative, Common Cause, HOPE (Harnessing Our Power to End Political Violence), along with many others. On top of this, several political figures, such as Barack Obama, JD Vance, Josh Shapiro, and Nancy Pelosi, have openly condemned all acts of political violence, all of whom have been the victims of these attacks in the past.