A recent study by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) has revealed a concerning trend: a significant portion of left-leaning Americans believe that political violence, including assassination, is justifiable against figures such as President Donald Trump and the de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk. The study surveyed over 1,200 U.S. adults and found that 38% of respondents felt that assassinating Trump would be at least “somewhat justified,” with this figure rising to 55% among those identifying as left-leaning. Similarly, 31% of overall participants, and 48% of left-leaning individuals, expressed some level of justification for assassinating Musk.
This data suggests a troubling normalization of violent political rhetoric within certain segments of the population. The NCRI report highlights that this shift has been particularly pronounced following the December 2024 assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, allegedly by Luigi Mangione. Mangione’s actions have been glamorized in various online communities, leading to a proliferation of memes and discussions that endorse political violence.
Iconography of Luigi Mangione portrays him as a saintly figure. Nationwide demonstrations against the Trump administration over the weekend also featured a life-sized guillotine display and calls to depose—that is violently overthrow—the president. (RELATED: The Coordinated Attack on Conservatives: A RICO Case In The Making)
“What was formerly taboo culturally has become acceptable,” Joel Finkelstein, lead author of the report, said, as reported by the New York Post. “We are seeing a clear shift — glorification, increased attempts and changing norms — all converging into what we define as ‘assassination culture.’”
The NCRI study traces the cultural shift back to the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, allegedly by Luigi Mangione, in December 2024. What followed, researchers say, was a viral wave of memes that turned Mangione into a folk hero.
According to the study, these memes have sparked copycat behavior targeting other figures associated with wealth and conservative politics.
“It’s not just Luigi anymore,” Finkelstein said. “We’re seeing an expansion: Trump, Musk and others are now being openly discussed as legitimate targets, often cloaked in meme culture and gamified online dialogue.”
A ballot measure in California, darkly named the Luigi Mangione Access to Health Care Act, is just one real-world outgrowth of this online movement.
The study also points to platforms like BlueSky, favored by progressive users, as amplifiers of extremist ideation. These platforms have become hubs for content that glorifies political violence, contributing to the spread of what researchers term “assassination culture.”
Researchers warn that the increasing acceptance of such rhetoric is not confined to fringe groups but is becoming more mainstream, leading to real-world consequences. They emphasize the need for strong leadership to reassert moral norms and curb the escalation of violent political discourse.
They underscore the urgent need for a societal dialogue on the implications of normalizing political violence and the importance of fostering a political environment where disagreements are addressed through democratic means rather than through threats or acts of violence.
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Aren’t they just SO CUTE parroting words that they do NOT even understand the meaning of.
These will be the same ones who will be lining up first with their hand out when Trump and Must find money that they can give back to the citizens, money that has been STOLEN from the citizens to give to entities al over trhe world, including TERRORIST organization.
I realize that these entities “protesting” and being so cute, have NO CLUE what any of the words they are saying mean, but they ARE GETTING PASID to be in the streets, and to some, that is all that matters. They would step on their grandmothers’ corpse if they were paid to do so.
The very idea that these entities BELIEVE the crap that Trump and Musk are STEALING is not only ludicrous, – Both of these men are self-=made WEALTHY men who are losing MILLIONS by being away from their companies; Musk takes NO SALARY and Trump DONASTES hjis salary
One thing to remember folks, is that this DEPICTSS the true colors of the “party of peace, the party of love” as the Democrats feature themselves.
What we need to remember folks, is that the Democratic party IS not THE PARTY of love, but the party of HATE; they are the party of SLAVERY, JIM CROW LAWS, the KKK, LYNCHING and ABORTION, TO NAME ONLY A FEW
Also remember that NOT A SINGLE Democrats EVER signed a Civil Rights Bill – NOT ONE SINFGLE Democrat has EVER signed such a bill and yet they sell the story that they are the party of the “people.”
This should wake up the American citizens to the Evil that exists in the so called Democrat Party.We are dealing with soul less Marxists that are criminals
This is why we have life sentences in prisons. We have to have a facility to eliminate dangerous people from the public, especially those with small brains who are unable to understand how a society works.
This article proves if you ask a certain segment of the population a particular question, you can get a type of response you are looking for. It’s obvious to me whoever did this new study went out of their way to seek out the unhinged lunatics of the far left democratic party.
Aren’t they just SO CUTE. parroting words that they have no clue the meaning of, but have been PAID to spout
These are the same PAID PUPPETS who will line up with their hand out when Trump and Musk make give the citizens back some of the money the BIDEN Administration and al other DIM administrations have either misplaced or giving away?
The idea that they believe that two VERY SUCCUSSFUL, WEALTHY BUSINESS men who have MADE THEIR OWN fortunes are in this because they are MILKING America and duping the public is the height of brainwashing. Musk has lost MILLIONS and is taking no SALARY. Trump DONATES his salary, and his companies also suffer while he is away
Isn’t it ‘interesting’ that the hard core lefties who claim everyone else is ‘violent’ overwhelmingly ‘feel’ that it is somehow okay to not only demonize those who don’t agree with them but would willingly resort to violence up to murder to get their way.
Why should we listen to liberals, they have nothing constructive to say or to add to anything.
This just shows you who is the party of violence. Democrats have gone completely nuts. Do you see any people from the other party acting like this.