Political Violence Is on the Rise. What Can We Do About It?

Our political system cannot endure if millions of Americans genuinely believe that vigilante justice and political violence are justified.

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About the author

Julian is a columnist for Reality’s Last Stand and a member of the Braver Angels media team. He’s also the founder of Heal the West, a substack movement dedicated to combating illiberalism via spiritual formation and rebuilding the American community.

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A new study suggests that a growing number of Americans are embracing political violence—or at least the idea of it—as a solution to our problems.

The study, published by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), asked participants whether various acts of left-wing political violence, such as the murder of public figures like Donald Trump or Elon Musk, would be justified. Alarmingly, 48 percent of left-of-center respondents said that murdering Musk would be at least “somewhat” justified, with 9.1 percent deeming it “completely” justified. For Trump, the figures were even higher: 55 percent said his murder would be at least “somewhat” justified, and 13.2 percent considered it “completely” justified.

These findings reflect a disturbing trend. In recent months, the glorification of political violence on the left has been on the rise. Luigi Manglione, for example, became a cult hero among segments of the far-left online community after he murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. There has also been a surge in attacks on Tesla dealerships. According to the same NCRI study, 57.6 percent of left-of-center respondents said that destroying Tesla dealerships would be at least “partially acceptable.”

Behind these dry statistics are chilling anecdotes. In one Reddit thread, a user posted: “Rumor is muck”—a likely intentional misspelling of “Musk” to avoid Reddit’s crackdown on calls for political violence—“always has his kid on his shoulders to deter grassy knoll enthusiasts.” Another commenter replied, “If you ask me 1 potential future Musk is a worthy sacrifice for the betterment of the world.” Such comments are so common in certain online spaces that we risk becoming numb to how profoundly dehumanizing they are. As the NCRI report notes, “In these ecosystems, violence is not just justified—it is stylized, gamified, and embedded within a broader ideological narrative.”