The Daily What Drives Political Violence in America
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May 4, 2026 
Robert Pape, a University of Chicago political scientist who studies terrorism and democratic instability, explores America’s surge in political violence. He looks at rising public support for force, why anger now spans both parties, how demographic change and inequality fuel radicalization, and why elite rhetoric and social media can accelerate the danger.
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Support For Assassination Reached Startling Levels
- Pape says support for violence to restore Donald Trump was about 10 percent during most of Biden's term and roughly doubled after Trump's election.
- His team found 55 percent of people who justified force meant assassination, and 10 percent said the killings of Charlie Kirk or Nancy Pelosi's attacker were acceptable.
This Wave Is Unusual Because Both Sides Fuel It
- Pape says America has seen violent populism before, but today's period stands out because support for political violence exists on both left and right at once.
- He compares it to the 1920s Klan era and the 1960s assassinations and riots, when millions also backed violence.
Congressional Threats Jumped Fivefold After 2017
- Threats prosecuted against members of Congress rose fivefold starting in 2017 and stayed elevated through both the Trump and Biden years.
- Pape says targets included Republicans seen as too loyal to Trump and others seen as not loyal enough, showing a broader destabilization than one leader alone.