The Left Has a Political Violence Problem

Last weekend marked the third attempt on President Trump’s life in less than two years, as gunman Cole Allen sought to murder the President and Cabinet Members at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. I join all Americans in giving thanks for the brave law enforcement officers who thwarted this evil attack; our nation owes them a debt of gratitude.

Allen’s manifesto makes clear that this was an act of premeditated political violence motivated by hatred for the President and his Administration. Sadly, this episode cannot be separated from the broader trend of political violence and violent rhetoric excused – or even celebrated – by some of the most influential figures on the Left.

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Certainly, rising extremism is a problem across the ideological spectrum – but there can be no doubt that Left-wing violence has risen sharply over the past decade. From the 2017 congressional baseball game shooting that nearly killed Rep. Steve Scalise (LA-1), to the three assassination attempts against President Trump; to the foiled plot to murder Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh; to the assassinations of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson – it’s clear we have a serious problem. 

The fact is, the Left has long had a problem with romanticizing and normalizing violence, both at home and abroad, if committed in the name of a given Left-wing cause. It’s been chilling to watch how the attempted assassinations of President Trump have been treated by his ideological opponents, many of whom will openly confess their wish that the assassins had succeeded. Public opinion polls confirm this trend: According to an April 2025 report, 56% of left-of-center respondents believe that murdering President Trump is at least partially justified; while a NPR/Marist poll conducted one month after the assassination of Charlie Kirk found that 28% of Democrats believe that Americans “may have to resort to violence to get the country back on track” – a 16-point increase from just 18 months prior.

Influencers on new media have exacerbated this trend – using their platforms to lionize murderers like Luigi Mangione as heroes, or to justify attacks on Jewish individuals and organizations as righteous resistance to “Zionism.” But it’s not just the podcasters and clickbaiters who are the problem: Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA) rationalized the assassination plot against Brian Thompson by saying, “[P]eople can only be pushed so far,” while Democrats and their allies in the media across excused (or even celebrated) the lawlessness that engulfed many of our cities during the summer of 2020 and in response to the October 7 massacre. They are, knowingly or not, laundering these reprehensible views for mainstream consumption, and muddying the moral and ethical waters of our political culture in the process.

I’ve been a public figure for more than 15 years, and I’m not what you’d call a shrinking violet when it comes to my political opinions. Yet the idea of in any way excusing – let alone celebrating the harassment, assault, or murder – of my political opponents is beyond comprehension. It is antithetical to civilized society, and its embrace will put us on a swift path to barbarism.

It is imperative that we reject the nihilism and moral equivalency that justifies and feeds political violence. It should not matter who is being targeted. Our response should always be the same: Zero tolerance and full enforcement of the law. We must also renew our embrace of the foundational principles of American life that these perpetrators hate so much: the right to peacefully disagree, to vote as one sees fit, and to maintain a society built upon ordered liberty.

As President Trump noted, there was something particularly sad about the fact that this attack took place at an event “dedicated to freedom of speech that was supposed to bring together members of both parties with members of the press.” I pray that gives all Americans – but especially those on the Left – cause to reflect on the distinction between robust but peaceable disagreements and the evil that would be unleashed by the assassin’s veto.

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