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mjpardus
Sep 172 min read

Political Violence is Not a Both Sides Issue

More than 90% of the acts of political violence and domestic terrorism in the U.S. are perpetrated by violent right-wing extremists.[1],[2] Political violence is not a “both sides” issue.[3]

 

Trump and his Republican allies have made political violence a center piece of their political ideology.[4] We see it every day.

 

But in an effort driven more by ratings then facts, the media attempts to make political violence a both sides issue. Both-sides-ism is a disservice to the American people and a threat to our democratic ideals.

 

The most recent example at Trump’s golf course involving a disaffected Trump voter. While the media talks about the gunman’s “evolving political viewpoints,” they fail to mention his continued support for right-wing extremist Vikram Ramaswamy for President and other extremist views.[5]

 

Democrats condemned the incident. But JD Vance invited violence against Vice President Harris by saying the difference between conservatives and liberals is that “no one has tried to kill Kamala Harris in the last couple of months.”[6]

Elon Musk doubled down in a tweet wondering why "no one is even trying to assassinate" Biden and Harris.[7],[8]

 

Both Biden and Harris have been the targets of assassination threats, such as those thwarted by the Secret Service.[9],[10],[11],[12],[13],[14] But that is conspicuously absent in media reporting.

 

After the incident, Trump, Vance and other Republicans falsely claimed that the gunman “believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it.”[15],[16],[17]

 

But the media gave credence to his blame-shifting by resorting to ratings safe both-sides-ism.

 

A new era of violent political rhetoric began 2015 with Trump’s verbal attacks on racial, ethnic, and religious minorities and his perceived political foes. It has only escalated as adherents of Trump’s political dogma repeat calls for retribution and revenge.

 

Violent political rhetoric is not a both sides issue.

 

 

[1] Federal Bureau of Investigation Department of Homeland Security. Strategic Intelligence Assessment and Data on Domestic Terrorism. October 2022.

 

[2]Congressional Research Service. Understanding and Conceptualizing Domestic Terrorism: Issues for Congress. December 29,2023.

 

[3]  “we find no difference between the level of violence perpetrated by right-wing and Islamist extremists”

 

Katarzyna Jasko, Gary LaFree, James Piazza and Michael Becker. A Comparison of Political Violence by Left-wing, Right-wing and Islamist Extremists in the United States and the World. National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. University of Maryland. 2022.

 

[4] New York Times. Trump, Outrage and the Modern Era of Political Violence. September 16, 2024.

 

 

 

[7] Secret Service 'aware' of Elon Musk post about Harris, Biden

 

[8]Elon Musk deletes X post about Biden, Harris assassination threats after backlash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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