Not just Kirk’s killing, America has seen a general rise in political violence

While the killing of Charlie Kirk, the conservative ally of President Donald Trump, is shocking, it is not rare as political violence has been rising in the United States.

Over the past two years, there have been a slew of assassinations and attempted assassinations in the United States, two of them targeting Trump, that have led to fears that the country could be falling into a phase like 1960s when four major assassinations took place.

Beyond the recent surge, the United States has had a long history of political violence that has involved killing of four presidents, multiple civil rights leaders, and many federal and state politicians. But, instead of curbing the polarisation, the extremism in the US polity is fuelling it.

Kirk was shot at an event at the Utah Valley University at Orem, Utah. He was 20 minutes into his speech and interaction with attendees when he was shot. Witnesses have claimed that a person on a rooftop more than 100 yards away was seen running after gunshots were heard, suggesting the person could be the shooter. No one has been arrested so far.

Tragic and sad, but America has a long history

While the shooting is tragic, the United States has had more than a century of history of assassinations.

Four US Presidents have been assassinated so far: Abraham Lincoln (1865), James A Garfield (1881), William McKinley (1901), and John F Kennedy (1963).

In the living memory, at least three presidents and former presidents have survived assassination attempts: Ronald Reagon survived an attempt at his life in 1982, Gerald Ford survived two attempts within 17 days in 1975, and Trump survived two attempts on his life last year during the presidential campaign.

Earlier in 1912, Theodore Roosevelt survived an attempt on his life during the election campaign. He was shot in the chest but survived as the impact of the bullet was blunted by 50 pages of speech and glass case that he was carrying in his breast pocket.

In 1942, 17 days before his inauguration, Franklin D Roosevelt was on stage with Chicago mayor Anton Cermak when a man opened fire. Cermak and an onlooker were killed but Roosevelt survived. It is not known who the shooter, Giuseppe Zangara, intended to kill.

Assassination plots were uncovered against several other presidents as well, such as Harry Truman, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Geroge W Bush, and Barack Obama.

Is America plunging into 1960s-like political violence?

Outlining the fears of many about the country’s direction, television personality Stephen Colbert said in his ‘The Late Show’ that he remembers the political violence of 1960s and can say that violence only leads to more violence and does not solve anything.

“I’m old enough to personally remember the political violence of the 1960s, and I hope it is obvious to everyone in America that political violence does not solve any of our political differences. Political violence only leads to more political violence, and I pray with all my heart that this is the abhorrent action of a mad man and not a sign of things to come,” said Colbert.

The 1960s were marked by assassinations of some of the most popular politicians and civil rights leaders.

President John F Kennedy was shot dead in 1963 and his brother, Robert F Kennedy, was shot dead in 1968 when he was running for president.

Martin Luther King Jr, the most well-known civil rights leader, was shot dead in 1968, and another leader, Malcolm X, was shot dead in 1965.

Other civil rights leaders who were assassinated were Medgar Evers (1963) and James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner (1964).

Many people see parallels between rising political violence in recent years and the 1960s. They say that conditions that drove the violence in 1960s have taken root in present-day America as well, such as militant racism (both white supremacist and Black nationalist groups), culture wars, and state violence.

Many fear that the situation has worsened under Trump as he has actively sided with racists and has promoted unrestrained use of state against critics — as portrayed by his declaration of ‘war’ on Chicago and threats of prosecution to judges giving unfavourable rulings.

In recent years, several high-profile assassinations have taken place in the United States: Melissa Hortman, a Democratic state legislator in Minnesota, was shot dead with her husband in June; Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was the target of an arson attack at his residence in April; former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband was critically injured in an attack in 2022; and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was the target of an abduction plot in 2020.

This is a broader list of assassinations and attempted assassinations in recent years.

On January 6, 2021, Trump egged on thousands of his supporters to attack the US Capitol to hijack the certification of the 2020 presidential election and illegally overturn it in his favour. The storming of the Capitol is seen as the most blatant act of political violence in recent history. In his second term, in one of his first actions, Trump pardoned all those accused and convicted of attacking the Capitol.

Ex-presidents condemn political violence, Trump plays blame game

Even though there has been bipartisan condemnation of Kirk’s killing with former presidents calling for a purge of political violence, Trump has blamed the political violence on the “radical left” and an ally, Congresswoman Nancy Mace, blamed it on “leftist lunatic”.

“For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now,” said Trump in a statement.

Former President Joe Biden called for an end to political violence after Kirk’s shooting.

“There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones,” said Biden.

Former President Barack Obama said there is “no place” for this type of violence.

“We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children,” said Obama.

Former President George W Bush, the only living Republican former president, said in a statement that “violence and vitriol must be purged from the public square”.

“Today, a young man was murdered in cold blood while expressing his political views. It happened on a college campus, where the open exchange of opposing ideas should be sacrosanct,” the statement read.

Former President Bill Clinton said he was “saddened and angered” by Kirk’s death.

“I hope we all go through some serious introspection and redouble our efforts to engage in debate passionately, yet peacefully. Hillary and I are keeping Erika, their two young children, and their family in our prayers,” Clinton said.

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