On July 13 in Butler County, Pennsylvania, just days before Donald Trump was set to accept the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election, the former president was speaking at a campaign rally when gunshots rang out.

Trump, 78, reached up to touch his ear as U.S. Secret Service agents urgently told him to “get down.” One of the bullets grazed the former president’s ear, leaving a red stream of blood running down the right side of his face. 

Trump was rushed off the stage, but not before telling the Secret Service to “wait.” He pumped his fist in the air, repeating the word “fight.” As he left, the people attending the rally began to chant “USA.” 

In the crowd, one died while shielding his family and two more were seriously injured.

The FBI identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, a registered Republican. He was fatally shot by a Secret Service sharpshooter at the rally.

The following day, Trump took to Truth Social, a social media platform the former president created in 2022 after he was banned from Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening,” Trump posted. “We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness. Our love goes out to the other victims and their families. We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed.” 

He then wrote, “In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win. I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin.”

This incident not only marks the closest assassination attempt of a U.S. president since Ronald Reagan in 1981, but also highlights the increasing normalization of political violence in the United States.

The Role of Political Violence

Political violence has become increasingly prevalent in American politics. Notable incidents over the past decade or so include then-U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) being shot in the head at an informal meeting with constituents in 2011 and a shooting at a congressional baseball practice in 2017 leaving U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) shot and five other victims injured.

The mob attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 that primarily originated from Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally to protest President Joe Biden’s inauguration resulted in at least seven deaths and 140 injured persons. The attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi in 2022 only further highlights this alarming trend.

Pearce Edwards, a political science assistant professor at LSU, defines political violence as the use of threats or physical acts in the pursuit of a political objective. He notes that feeling a lack of agency or ability to participate in the democratic process can drive individuals to violence as a method for change.

“So people who don’t feel like their voice is heard through supporting a political party, through organizing peacefully, through a social movement or if they feel the government is repressing them or ignoring them,” Edwards said, “then they might use political violence as an alternative means to express that viewpoint.”

Political science sophomore Mason Batts believes violence has no place in American politics.

“If you did not have the right to vote, you may need to resort to violence to get your point across,” Batts said. “But in America we solve our problems in the ballot box.”

Batts contributes some of the rising political tension of the rising political tension to a misstep in the education system.

“For decades we have indoctrinated our youth into believing that America is a democracy. That is a lie. America is a constitutional republic,” Batts asserts. “So when people think we live in a democracy but the outcome is that of a constitutional republic, they begin to resent the system. They believe it is corrupt and not serving the people in the way that a democracy should. When people believe that the system is failing and corrupt they are more likely to resort to violence.”

The Importance of Rhetoric

Following his brush with death in July, Trump told the American public during a debate against Vice President Kamala Harris on Sept. 10 that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio were “eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.” 

The week following his broadcasted claim, there were over 30 bomb threats made against Springfield schools, government buildings and city officials’ homes. When asked if he denounced the bomb threats, Trump replied that while he didn’t know anything about bomb threats, “I know that it [Springfield] has been taken over by illegal migrants, and that’s a terrible thing that’s happened.”

Edwards emphasizes that while political leaders can’t control everyone, they do have a responsibility to set the tone of discourse. He warns that the urgency and perceived emergencies that political leaders create can justify violence to their followers. 

Construction management senior Zane Jones thinks this is the biggest cause for the rising trend in political violence.

“In America, people have been whipped into a constant frenzy by leaders like Trump who capitalize on economic and social fears,” Jones said, “feeding into the ever-present political theater that surrounds us.”

Edwards said that while strong emotions are natural, it is more important to channel them into peaceful, productive actions rather than violent ones. He referred to political movements like Black Lives Matter, which was at its height in 2020 following the death of George Floyd. 

“You had a large number of people who were doing that peacefully, but then you had a subset of people who were disillusioned with their opportunity to make a change politically,” Edwards said. And while he explained that the majority of the political movement was protesting peacefully, some “felt that maybe taking direct action, violent action against government institutions or police was justified.”

A Way Forward

The rising hyper-partisanship contributes significantly to the tense political climate the country finds itself in. Edwards says that people have become increasingly negative toward opposing parties, leading to a form of political identity comparable to ethnic affiliation. As a consequence, there is a double standard of what political violence is considered acceptable to people depending on the party affiliation of the perpetrator or even the victim.

“Too bad his aim was bad,” read a comment beneath a video of the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler County. Another stated, “Man, I’ll do it myself then.” A third read, “If you’re gonna assassinate someone, do it right.”

Jones said that the trend toward political violence can be countered by maintaining a sense of humanity toward different groups. He references Tennessee Pastor Greg Locke’s comments in 2022: “You cannot be a Christian and vote Democrat in this nation. . . They are God-denying demons that butcher babies and hate this nation.”

Jones condemned hateful speech like this, saying, “That is the kind of language that must end if we are to go forth and become one people with a shared goal of creating a better nation.”