According to the latest PBS News/NPR/Marist poll, one in five adult Americans believe that violence is the key to solving America’s political division. This mindset puts the nation in “an incredibly dangerous place,” experts say. The 2024 presidential election is only months away, and it is concerning that some Americans are willing to resort to violence to secure the outcome they see appropriate.
Most Americans, regardless of political affiliation, do not believe that violence is the answer. However, Republicans were more likely than Democrats or Independents — and slightly more likely than the overall population — to say force may be needed to ensure success. Former President Donald Trump has questioned the humanity of immigrants who flee from violence to America, referred to a “blood bath for the country” if he does not get reelected, and described people who have been convicted for January 6th criminal offenses as “hostages.”
Trump’s rallies attempt “to convince people the country is going downhill, that things are awful and only he can fix them,” said Barbara McQuade, a law professor at the University of Michigan and author of Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America.
Clearly, Trump’s tactics are successful as he has now convinced one in five Americans that violence is the only recourse for a free nation. Political unrest has never been higher in American politics, with President Joe Biden frequently repeating that “democracy is at stake.”
We need strong voices pushing back against this dangerous, violent ideation. America cannot suffer a bloodbath or civil war; we are better than that. We are more civilized than that. The power that Trump exerts over the American people is sickening and could lead to the end of a peaceful exchange of power. Trump fashions himself as the next president, already acting as if he has been reelected. No presidential candidate should allude to violence.
Why do some Americans feel that we must kill each other over political affiliation? Force is never the answer. No matter who wins reelection, no one should resort to physically harming another human being. This goes against democracy, and against everything America stands for. The number one way to increase the political divide is to incite terror.
