US: political violence

The US has witnessed a worrying rise in political violence over the past decade, with most experts tying the collective shortening of fuses to the increasingly incendiary rhetoric of Donald Trump. The former president has never been a stranger to controversial, violent statements. On Monday, he was sued for slander in connection with his recent defence of claims in a newspaper ad he paid for 35 years ago, calling for five wrongfully accused men to be given the death penalty. During his first run for office and his presidency, the US media regularly compared Trump with African dictators and other elected authoritarian leaders such as Narendra Modi and Imran Khan, who have also regularly directed violent rhetoric and obscene insults at their opponents. But what made Trump unique is that unlike any of those other countries, the US had never seen anyone who intentionally and unabashedly used that kind of language in public.

Trump's neo-Nazi and white supremacist supporters were blamed for most of the uptick in violence, although counter-protest groups, such as the anti-fascist Antifa movement and some civil rights protesters, have also been involved in violent exchanges with rival groups and law enforcement. Trump has also been the target of at least two assassination attempts in recent months, including one that killed a rally attendee and left the former president with superficial injuries. Trump is now threatening to use the military to harass his opponents, which is even more concerning because his lawyers have recently argued that it is legal for the president to order the killing of his opponents. Meanwhile, his refusal to say he will accept the results of the election is also setting the stage for a repeat of the violence we saw on January 6, 2020, when his supporters laid siege to the Capitol.

The rise of political violence and tribalism has eroded people's ability to engage in constructive dialogue. If professional politicians are unwilling to set an example by maintaining civility in all interactions, their supporters will continue spiraling.