More and more Americans wish death on their political opponents. Experts warn of violent rhetoric in the US election campaign.
Washington, DC – Although the United States has a long history of political violence, radical extremists have not been able to stop the storming of the U.S. Capitol. republican and Trump supporters after the 2020 elections, something changed in the public perception of US democracy. In the fight for the US election 2024 Division and hatred are becoming more and more apparent.
Insults against political opponents have long been the order of the day. The two assassination attempts against Donald Trumpthe bomb threats in Ohio and a call by a fringe party to murder Kamala Harris only illustrate the climate of violence in which the presidential election campaign in the USA is taking place. According to the BBC In recent years, many Americans have adapted to a new normal in politics. The national discourse has hardened, partisan divisions have become more acute and entrenched, and standards for candidate behavior have completely eroded.
“Why is no one shooting Harris?” Elon Musk deletes provocative X-post after a short time
Although Kamala Harris immediately after the attempted Assassination attempt on her political opponent Trump on Sunday (September 15) on the platform X wrote: “Violence has no place in America,” the reality seems to show the opposite. The political climate is becoming increasingly aggravated by persistent accusations, insults and hate messages on social networks. In order to attract attention, the authors use increasingly loud and extreme statements.
“Why is nobody shooting Kamala Harris?” wrote tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is increasingly trying to exert political influence, on his short message platform X. This was reported by, among others, the Daily NewsHe only seemed to realise later that this could be interpreted as a call for murder. He deleted the post and called it a “joke” but said it lacked context.
Libertarian Party publicly calls for Harris murder before 2024 US election
The Libertarian Party, which fights for a minimal state, also made an appearance on X: Anyone who murders Kamala Harris is an “American hero,” it said a few hours before the events in Florida. This post was also deleted. Donald Trump himself used the incident in his usual manner for his election campaign and launched a direct attack on Harris and President Joe Biden“Your rhetoric is getting me shot,” the Republican presidential candidate claimed.
It may be surprising that Trump is the one complaining about violent language. The real estate billionaire is itself known for polarizing and inflaming the political climate with provocative statements. A recent example was his unsubstantiated claim that Haitian immigrants were stealing and eating residents’ pets in Springfield, Ohio – which led to several bomb threats rocking the otherwise peaceful town.
Political violence in the USA “has existed since the founding of the country”
However, political violence is nothing new in the United States, says Peter Loge of George Washington University to the AFP“It has existed since the founding of the country,” he says, pointing to a long list of “riots, murders and attempted murders.” Nevertheless, the inauguration of the right-wing populist Trump in January 2017 marked a turning point: According to the Capitol Police, which is responsible for protecting members of Congress, threats against members of Congress have more than doubled since then.
A survey by WashingtonPost in December 2021 showed that one in three Americans considers violence against government officials to be a legitimate means of politics. In 1990, only one in ten Americans said they tolerated violence on the political stage.
The political climate of division and hatred had reached such a peak in the fall of 2022 that Republican Senator Susan Collins warned that she would not be surprised if a congressman were killed. Just a short time after her warning, a right-wing extremist broke into the Pelosi’s house in San Francisco and fractured Nancy Pelosi’s husband’s skull with a hammer. In fact, according to AFP at his wife, the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, who was in Washington at the time.
70 percent of Americans fear violence after the US election in November
The memories of January 6, 2021, when fanatical Trump supporters, incited by the current president, stormed the Capitol, are burned into the collective memory not only in the USA. Trump claims to this day that he had nothing to do with the outbreak of violence. He calls those who were convicted as a result hostages whom he intends to pardon as soon as he is president again. It is considered a given that the Republican would not accept an election defeat this year either. According to a May poll, 70 percent of US citizens fear that violence will break out again after the election on November 5.
Right-wing extremist online communities that have been talking about civil war and armed retaliation since the 2020 election have been targeted, according to a post by Times were flooded with angry messages following the assassination attempt on Trump. Some said they would follow his call to fight, others demanded revenge. (lm/afp)
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