The ideology behind the Left’s embrace of political violence

Published September 20, 2025 5:00am ET



Two assassination attempts against President Donald Trump, the murder of a health insurance executive in New York City, the burning of Tesla dealerships and vehicles nationwide, and the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk — all these events are appalling in themselves. But the fact that so many people on the Left, particularly the youngest generation of adults, celebrate such violence is more disturbing and a threat to the stability of our nation. It deserves an honest reckoning.

One can point to recent outrages in which Democrats were assaulted (Paul Pelosi), attacked (Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA)), or killed (former Democratic Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman); these incidents were uniformly condemned by conservatives and not celebrated or justified in any manner. In the case of the attack on Shapiro, it came from one of the Left’s pro-Hamas allies. 

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