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Political violence in the 2024 United States presidential election

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2024 U.S. presidential election
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Political violence has occurred leading up to the 2024 United States presidential election.

Background

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Several scholars, lawmakers, intelligence agencies, and the members of the public have expressed concerns about political violence surrounding the 2024 election.[1][2] The fears come amidst increasing threats and acts of physical violence targeting public officials and election workers at all levels of government.[3][4] In a NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released on November 4, 72% of likely voters reported being concerned about violence as a result of the election.[5]

Trump has been identified as a key figure in increasing political violence in America both for and against him.[6][7][8] Political violence is at its highest since the 1970s, and most recent violence has come from right-wing assailants.[9][10] Trump has increasingly embraced far-right extremism, conspiracy theories such as Q-Anon, and far-right militia movements to a greater extent than any modern American president.[11][12] Trump has espoused dehumanizing, combative, and violent rhetoric and promised retribution against his political enemies.[a] Trump has played down but refused to rule out violence following the 2024 election, stating "it depends".[19] Trump has suggested using the military against "the enemy from within" on Election Day that he described as "radical left lunatics", Democratic politicians, and those who oppose his candidacy.[20][21]

Preparation against

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In the days before the election, the states of Washington, Oregon, and Nevada put their National Guard troops on standby as a precaution for potential election unrest.[22] In Washington DC, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith reported that the police will be working 12-hour shifts and depending on events the potential to have longer shifts so that there would be officers through out the city. Additional fencing was erected around the White House and the Naval Observatory, which contains the Vice Presidents residence, and other businesses in the area had boarded up windows.[5]

Political violence

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Assassination attempts

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Donald Trump

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Main articles: Attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania and Attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Florida

On July 13, 2024, Trump survived an assassination attempt while addressing a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania.[23] Trump was shot and wounded on his right ear by Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania,[24][25] who fired eight rounds with an AR-15–style rifle from the roof of a building located approximately 400 feet (120 meters) from the stage; the shots killed audience member Corey Comperatore and critically injured two other audience members.[24] Seconds later, Crooks was shot and killed by the U.S. Secret Service's counter-sniper team.[26] The motive and cause of the assassination attempt are still under investigation by authorities.[27] On September 11, 2024, a bipartisan Senate report identified tech issues and other preventable mistakes by the Secret Service during the event.[28]

On September 15, 2024, Trump survived a separate assassination attempt at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The suspect did not fire his weapon, and no deaths or injuries were reported.[29] The suspect, Ryan Routh, is in custody.[30]

In August, a Pakistani national was arrested for allegedly plotting to assassinate Trump.[31]

Ballot attacks

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Main article: 2024 ballot drop box arson attacks in the United States

Washington and Portland

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In late October 2024 multiple fires were reported at ballot drop boxes in Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington. The fires caused damage to hundreds of ballots, causing election officials to identify and offer new ballots to those affected by the fires. Prior to the fires the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security had issued a bulletin raising concerns about "election-related grievances" could motivate domestic extremist activity and that ballot drop boxes could be seen as "attractive targets".[32][33]

Arizona

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In Phoenix, Arizona, a fire was started in a mail collection box, destroying some ballots and other mail. A suspect was arrested and claimed that he was trying to be arrested and that the fire was unrelated to the election.[34]

Campaign headquarters shootings

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Between September and October, the Democratic Party's campaign office in Tempe, Arizona was hit by gunfire. The office was shut down on October 6, after the third shooting.[35]

Threats and suspicious packages

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Since the 2020 election and continuing into the 2024 election, the election denial movement in the United States has prompted thousands of death threats directed at election workers, officials, and their families, with some receiving letters laced with fentanyl.[36][37] As of March 2024, the Department of Justice's Election Threats Task Force had charged 20 people with threat-related crimes.[38] In September 2024, suspicious packages were sent to state election officials in Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Wyoming. This resulted in evacuations in several states. The inclusion of white powder in most of the packages mirrored the 2001 anthrax attacks, but the substance in the Oklahoma delivery was identified as flour.[39] Threats have led some election workers to resign and have affected recruitment of temporary poll workers.[40][41] Efforts to protect election workers are diverse, including active shooter drills, provision of trauma kits and Narcan, and the use of bullet-proof vests, bullet-resistant glass, metal detectors, various kinds of barriers, armed guards, police snipers, drones, and security cameras.[40] However, many boards of election lack the funds for such efforts.[41]

Violence against voters and poll workers

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On October 30, a supporter of Donald Trump in Neptune Beach, Florida, was arrested after brandishing a machete in front of two supporters of Kamala Harris at an early voting location.[42] During early voting in San Antonio, Texas, a voter was arrested and charged for allegedly assaulting an elderly poll worker. The worker reportedly asked the man multiple times to remove his MAGA hat at the polling location. In Texas, it is illegal to wear any clothing showing support of political candidates while in a polling location.[43]

On November 1, 2024, a voter wearing a "Let's Go Brandon" hat was reportedly struck by a poll worker after a verbal altercation over his hat at an Orangeburg County, South Carolina polling location. It is illegal to wear anything supporting a candidate whose name is on the ballot, but wearing a general political message is permitted by South Carolina law.[44]

On November 2, a 17-year-old male was arrested in Stuart, Florida after he allegedly punched a 70-year-old woman in the stomach at a rally for Kamala Harris.[45]

On November 4, an 82-year-old woman wearing a Harris pin was arrested on suspicion of a hate crime after allegedly assaulting a 55-year-old multi-racial Trump supporter in Edmonds, Washington.[46]

Notes

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  1. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[7][8][13][14][15][16][17][18]

References

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  1. ^ Pezenik, Sasha; Margolin, Josh (February 2, 2024). "The top threats facing the 2024 election". ABC News. Archived from the original on July 7, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  2. ^ Solender, Andrew (May 30, 2024). "Lawmakers fear potential unrest after Trump verdict". Axios. Archived from the original on July 3, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  3. ^ Hakim, Danny; Bensinger, Ken; Sullivan, Eileen (May 20, 2024). "'We'll See You at Your House': How Fear and Menace Are Transforming Politics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 24, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  4. ^ Walton, Daniel (July 30, 2024). "'Ripe for political violence': US election officials are quitting at an alarming rate". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Doubek, James (November 4, 2024). "States and cities beef up security to prepare for potential election-related violence". NPR. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  6. ^ Baker, Peter (September 16, 2024). "Trump, Outrage and the Modern Era of Political Violence". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024. At the heart of today's eruption of political violence is Mr. Trump, a figure who seems to inspire people to make threats or take actions both for him and against him. He has long favored the language of violence in his political discourse, encouraging supporters to beat up hecklers, threatening to shoot looters and undocumented migrants, mocking a near-fatal attack on the husband of the Democratic House speaker and suggesting that a general he deemed disloyal be executed.
  7. ^ a b Nacos, Brigitte L.; Shapiro, Robert Y.; Bloch-Elkon, Yaeli (2020). "Donald Trump: Aggressive Rhetoric and Political Violence". Perspectives on Terrorism. 14 (5). International Centre for Counter-Terrorism: 2–25. ISSN 2334-3745. JSTOR 26940036.
  8. ^ a b Piazza, James; Van Doren, Natalia (October 8, 2022). "It's About Hate: Approval of Donald Trump, Racism, Xenophobia and Support for Political Violence". American Politics Research. 51 (3): 299–314. doi:10.1177/1532673X221131561. ISSN 1532-673X. Archived from the original on September 29, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  9. ^ Parker, Ned; Eisler, Peter (October 21, 2024). "New cases of political violence roil US ahead of contentious election". Reuters. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  10. ^ Parker, Ned; Eisler, Peter (August 9, 2023). "Political violence in polarized U.S. at its worst since 1970s". Reuters. In contrast, much of today's political violence is aimed at people – and most of the deadly outbursts tracked by Reuters have come from the right. Of the 14 fatal political attacks since the Capitol riot in which the perpetrator or suspect had a clear partisan leaning, 13 were right-wing assailants. One was on the left.
  11. ^ Baker, Peter (December 1, 2022). "Trump Embraces Extremism as He Seeks to Reclaim Office". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 16, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024. Analysts and strategists see Mr. Trump's pivot toward the far right as a tactic to re-create political momentum ... Mr. Trump has long flirted with the fringes of American society as no other modern president has, openly appealing to prejudice based on race, religion, national origin and sexual orientation, among others ... Mr. Trump's expanding embrace of extremism has left Republicans once again struggling to figure out how to distance themselves from him.
  12. ^ Swenson, Ali; Kunzelman, Michael (November 18, 2023). "Fears of political violence are growing as the 2024 campaign heats up and conspiracy theories evolve". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024. Trump has amplified social media accounts that promote QAnon, which grew from the far-right fringes of the internet to become a fixture of mainstream Republican politics ... In his 2024 campaign, Trump has ramped up his combative rhetoric with talk of retribution against his enemies. He recently joked about the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi and suggested that retired Gen. Mark Milley, a former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, should be executed for treason.
  13. ^ Layne, Nathan; Slattery, Gram; Reid, Tim (April 3, 2024). "Trump calls migrants 'animals,' intensifying focus on illegal immigration". Reuters. Archived from the original on June 17, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2024. While speaking of Laken Riley – a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia allegedly murdered by a Venezuelan immigrant in the country illegally – Trump said some immigrants were sub-human. "The Democrats say, 'Please don't call them animals. They're humans.' I said, 'No, they're not humans, they're not humans, they're animals,'" said Trump, president from 2017 to 2021.
  14. ^ Haberman, Maggie; Nehamas, Nicholas; McFadden, Alyce (October 3, 2023). "Trump Said Shoplifters Should Be Shot, Part of a String of Violent Remarks". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  15. ^ Gabriel, Trip (October 5, 2023). "Trump Escalates Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric With 'Poisoning the Blood' Comment". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  16. ^ LeVine, Marianne (November 12, 2023). "Trump calls political enemies 'vermin,' echoing dictators Hitler, Mussolini". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  17. ^ Gold, Michael; Huynh, Anjali (April 2, 2024). "Trump Again Invokes 'Blood Bath' and Dehumanizes Migrants in Border Remarks". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  18. ^ Basu, Zachary (October 4, 2023). "Trump's words turn violent as pressure on him builds". Axios. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  19. ^ Ibssa, Lalee; Kim, Soo Rin (April 30, 2024). "Trump says 'it depends' if there will be violence if he loses 2024 election to Biden". ABC News. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  20. ^ Stracqualursi, Veronica (October 14, 2024). "Trump suggests using military against 'enemy from within' on Election Day". CNN.
  21. ^ Lerer, Lisa; Gold, Michael (October 15, 2024). "Trump Escalates Threats to Political Opponents He Deems the 'Enemy'". The New York Times. But never before has a presidential nominee—let alone a former president—openly suggested turning the military on American citizens simply because they oppose his candidacy. As he escalates his threats of political retribution, Mr. Trump is offering voters the choice of a very different, and far less democratic, form of American government.
  22. ^ Musa, Amanda (November 2, 2024). "National Guard troops on standby in Washington state, Oregon and Nevada as a precaution for 'potential' election unrest". CNN. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  23. ^ "Biden condemns 'sick' attempt on Trump's life". BBC. July 14, 2024. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  24. ^ a b Barnes, Julian E.; Gold, Michael; Levien, Simon J. (July 13, 2024). "Live Updates: Trump 'Safe' After Shooting at Rally; Suspect Killed". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  25. ^ "FBI identifies Thomas Matthew Crooks as 'subject involved' in Trump rally shooting". Reuters. July 14, 2024. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  26. ^ Cheatle, Kimberly (July 15, 2024). "Statement From U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle" (Press release). United States Secret Service. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024. Secret Service personnel on the ground moved quickly during the incident, with our counter sniper team neutralizing the shooter and our agents implementing protective measures to ensure the safety of former president Donald Trump.
  27. ^ Hagopian, Alicja (July 20, 2024). "Assassination attempt or domestic terrorism? FBI investigates Trump shooter's motives". The Independent. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  28. ^ Nobles, Ryan; Reilly, Ryan J.; Thorp V, Frank (September 25, 2024). "Bipartisan report on Trump shooting identifies Secret Service tech issues and 'preventable' mistakes". NBC News. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  29. ^ "Trump 'assassination attempt': Suspect charged after second apparent plot". NBC News. September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  30. ^ Picheta, Rob (September 16, 2024). "What we know about Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the apparent second Trump assassination attempt". CNN. Archived from the original on September 23, 2024. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  31. ^ Legare, Robert; Sganga, Nicole; Triay, Andres (August 7, 2024). "U.S. charges Pakistani with alleged Iran ties in murder-for-hire plot against Trump, U.S. officials". CBS News.
  32. ^ Chavez, Nicole (October 28, 2024). "Ballot drop box fires under investigation in Oregon, Washington". CNN. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  33. ^ Bell (Photojournalist), Allison Berry, Evan (October 28, 2024). "Hundreds of ballots possibly burned after Vancouver ballot box arson: FBI investigating". KATU. Retrieved October 28, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  34. ^ Deliso, Meredith; Romero, Laura (October 24, 2024). "Ballots damaged after USPS mailbox lit on fire in Phoenix: Police". ABC News. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  35. ^ "Man Is Arrested After Shootings at Democratic Campaign Office in Arizona". New York Times.
  36. ^ Eileen Sullivan (April 13, 2024). "Election Workers Face Flood of Threats, but Charges Are Few". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 5, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  37. ^ Wong, Matteo (October 25, 2024). "'Stop Counting Votes, or We're Going to Murder Your Children'". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  38. ^ Timm, Jane C. (March 25, 2024). "The DOJ is investigating dozens of threats against election workers". NBC News. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  39. ^ Tonya Alanez; Samantha J. Gross (September 17, 2024). "FBI, USPS intercept suspicious envelope sent to Mass. elections division". The Boston Globe.
  40. ^ a b Carlton, Jim; Bergengruen, Vera (October 19, 2024). "'It Feels Very Dystopian.' Republican County Officials Brace for Election Deniers—Again". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  41. ^ a b Edlin, Ruby; Norden, Lawrence (April 25, 2023). "Poll of Election Officials Shows High Turnover Amid Safety Threats and Political Interference". Brennan Center for Justice. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  42. ^ Astor, Maggie (October 30, 2024). "Trump Supporter Arrested After Brandishing Machete at Early-Voting Site". The New York Times. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  43. ^ Contreras, Natalia (October 25, 2024). "Texas election worker assaulted during early voting". Votebeat. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  44. ^ Wilder, Anna; Monk, John (November 1, 2024). "'Let's Go Brandon' hat sparks physical altercation at early voting site in Orangeburg, SC". The State. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  45. ^ Hatfield, Tyler; Dorsainvil, Aja (November 4, 2024). "'I'm still in shock': Woman, 70, punched by teen at Kamala Harris rally in Stuart". WPTV. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  46. ^ Deliso, Meredith (November 7, 2024). "82-year-old Washington woman arrested for a suspected hate crime after allegedly assaulting Trump supporters". ABC News. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
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