Most Americans concerned about political violence in wake of assassination attempt on Trump, poll finds
MINNEAPOLIS — A majority of Americans are concerned about political violence in the wake of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, according to a new poll.
The survey from Reuters and Ipsos found that 87% are concerned about people resorting to violence instead of peacefully resolving their differences. The poll was conducted Tuesday, just days after the Saturday shooting at the Trump rally that killed an attendee and injured the former president and others.
The investigation continues into the gunman and his motive, which is unclear. Elected officials on all sides of the political spectrum condemned the shooting. President Biden in an Oval Office address Sunday said the political rhetoric needs to "cool down" and others have echoed those calls.
Howard Lavine, a political science and psychology professor at the University of Minnesota, was skeptical that the tone of politics will change in a significant and enduring way.
"It's not that you are my political opponent anymore, and then we're going to compromise for some set of policies that are in the interest of the public or the broader electorate. You are now my political enemy," Lavine said. "My political enemy might be an enemy of the state, and saying something like that is a fairly extreme statement."
He noted such violence isn't new in the country's history, and it's still rare. But he cited polls showing some Americans believe use of force is justified to achieve political goals.
"There is a greater acceptance today than there was say 10 or 15 years ago that violence might be necessary to maintain democracy or to maintain law and order," he said.
A Department of Homeland Security and FBI bulletin obtained by CBS News warned law enforcement of potential retaliatory attacks of violence, given online threats following Saturday's shooting.
As a precaution, the Minnesota State Patrol has "increased the security presence" for Gov. Tim Walz because of this weekend's assassination attempt on Trump and the Republican National Convention this week, a spokesperson said by email.
Walz was in Milwaukee Wednesday to offer counter-programming to the event on behalf of the Biden-Harris campaign.
Meanwhile, in Washington, United States Capitol Police investigated more than 8,000 threat assessment cases in 2023, according to a news release. Members of Congress in both political parties receive a "wide range of threats and concerning statements."
Lisa Waldner, a professor of sociology at the University of St. Thomas who studies extremism, said elected officials should be modeling how to engage in civil discourse and said pledges to tone down political rhetoric are important, but the individuals who need to receive the message are unlikely to hear it.
"People that are extremists, they're not listening to traditional media. They don't trust traditional media. So they're getting their information sources in chat rooms, extremist blogs — different kinds of platforms," Waldner said. "And those entities are not going to tone down the rhetoric."