Why Progressives Increasingly Support Violence

Political violence in America is not just a relic of the past. From the attempted assassinations of Donald Trump to the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, to the burning of Teslas in protest of Elon Musk, political violence is a present-day reality. More than 9,000 threats have been made against members of Congress this year—a “huge increase,” according to officials.

Are these events aberrations or do they reflect a national problem? Are they connected? And does the public support them?

A new report from our group, the Network Contagion Research Institute, provides answers. Our research, based on nationally representative surveys and analyses of online activity, demonstrates the existence of online subcultures that support the murder of public figures like Trump and Musk. This “assassination culture,” incubated on social media, has migrated from the margins of public life into the mainstream.

We found that nearly one-third of Americans surveyed—and around half of those identifying as left-of-center—believe that the murder of certain public figures is at least somewhat justified. The figures are startling: 38 percent of respondents, and 55 percent of those left of center, said assassinating President Trump would be at least somewhat justified; 31 percent of respondents, and 48 percent of those left of center, said the same about Musk. Forty percent of respondents, and 58 percent of those left of center, deem it at least somewhat acceptable to “destroy a Tesla dealership” in protest.

Our report also discovered an online “assassination culture,” found in predominantly left-leaning digital spaces, such as Bluesky and Reddit. This subculture justifies and glorifies political violence. Some of these networks’ users wield the name “Luigi” or use the Luigi video game character as coded endorsements of Brian Thompson’s alleged assassin, Luigi Mangione. These users cloak explicit calls for violence in stylized memes. Many believe that political murder and sabotage are acceptable forms of protest.

What motivates these attitudes? To answer that, we looked for statistical associations between respondents’ backing for political violence and other psychological and behavioral measures. We identified three key variables that predict support for violence: left-wing authoritarianism (characterized by a willingness to use coercion and punishment for progressive aims), external locus of control (the extent to which individuals feel powerless in their lives), and use of the left-wing social media platform Bluesky.

This finding is especially concerning, as it reveals that many progressives have adopted a coherent ideology that justifies political violence. While right-wing extremism certainly exists, its left-wing equivalent merits considerable attention. Unfortunately, it has been historically understudied and, according to corroborating reports, is on the rise.

The rise of this ideology is troubling for American democracy. Political assassinations often occur when perpetrators believe a critical share of the public will tolerate—or even justify—them. Given the growing number of Americans who now express support for political violence, and the surge in threats to political figures, we recommend heightened security precautions across all levels of government.

These attitudes reflect a deeper pathology in our political culture: social media has magnified feelings of powerlessness and redirected them toward violent extremism. Confronting this contagion requires moral clarity and a renewed commitment to America’s founding principles. Civil disagreement must replace online hostility, and political leaders must denounce violence—without qualification—as incompatible with a constitutional republic.

If we fail to hold that line, the future may echo the darkest chapters of our past.

Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images