America’s twisted relationship with political violence In wake of assassination of activist Charlie Kirk

As the United States comes to terms with the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk—fatally shot in the neck during a public event at a Utah university campus on September 10—the greater tragedy lies in how disturbingly familiar such incidents have become across the US, adding yet another tragic case to the rising tide of political violence across the country in recent years.

The search for the shooter, who law enforcement says appeared to deliberately target Kirk from an elevated position on campus, remains underway at the time of this report, Caliber.Az notes citing CBS News.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) reacted to Kirk’s killing, stating: "I want to be very clear that this is a political assassination," while President Donald Trump directly blamed radical left-wing politics for contributing to this atrocity and other recent violent political attacks in his speech addressing the killing. 

The apparent assassination of the 31-year-old political figure, who rose to prominence within the conservative youth movement through his popular campus tour “Prove me wrong,” where he invited students to publicly debate contentious issues, is the latest addition to a pattern of violent political acts in the United States.

Back in October 2021, Rachel Kleinfeld wrote in The Journal of Democracy that an “unprecedented number” of election administrators received threats in 2020, and that “acts of political violence in the United States have skyrocketed in the last five years,” drawing on data from the Global Terrorism Database at the University of Maryland’s National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.

The following report recalls only several notable recent examples of politically motivated violence in the country:

House invasion in Minnesota

On June 14, 2025, two Minnesota state lawmakers were murdered in their homes. State representative Melissa Hortman (D), a 20-year veteran of the House of Representatives, and her husband, Mark, were killed. State Senator John Hoffman (D) and his wife, Yvette, were shot more than 17 times in their residence but survived the attempt on their lives.

Authorities later disclosed that the shooter surrendered to police the following day. At the time of the murders, he was heavily armed, clad in tactical gear, and wearing a silicone mask while carrying a police-style badge to impersonate law enforcement.

State police reported that a list of at least 45 elected officials spanning three states was found in Boelter’s vehicle, including the names of his actual targets.

Arson attack in Pennsylvania

On April 13, 2025, the Pennsylvania home of Governor Josh Shapiro (D) was set ablaze while he and his family were inside. Though the arson caused significant property damage, no one was hurt. Court filings reveal that the arsonist, Cody Balmer, 38, told police he intended to assault Shapiro with a sledgehammer if he encountered him inside the residence.

Balmer’s mother told the AP that she had recently sought mental health assistance for her son, saying “nobody would help.” She explained that he had long struggled with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Shapiro, widely regarded as a potential Democratic presidential contender for 2028, had been celebrating Passover on the night of the attack. According to police records, Balmer later called 911, admitting he targeted the governor partly over Shapiro’s supposed views on the war in Gaza.

Assault on Tesla

In early 2025, Elon Musk’s electric car company also became a target after President Donald Trump appointed him to head the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Cybertrucks were set on fire, and Tesla showrooms across the US were attacked with gunfire and Molotov cocktails. These incidents ceased once Musk left his temporary government role in May 2025.

Assassination attempts on Donald Trump

In July 2024, during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, then-presidential candidate Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt when a gunman’s bullet grazed his ear. One supporter was killed, and two others were critically wounded before police shot the assailant dead.

Months later, another man armed with a rifle was arrested at Trump’s Florida golf club in an alleged plot to kill him. Court filings show that as Trump was golfing at West Palm Beach, a Secret Service agent noticed the suspect hiding in bushes at the perimeter before he opened fire.

Prosecutors further allege that the second attempt’s shooter tried to obtain anti-aircraft weapons a month earlier, sharing a photo of Trump’s private plane and writing: "I need equipment so that Trump cannot get elected."

Assault on House Speaker’s husband

In 2022, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband was brutally attacked with a hammer after an intruder broke into their San Francisco home. During trial testimony, the assailant admitted he had planned to hold Pelosi hostage to confront what he believed was systemic corruption. He also told jurors he hoped to question her about Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Shooting on lawmakers during baseball practice

Back in 2017, a gunman opened fire on Republican lawmakers as they practiced for a charity baseball game in Virginia, critically injuring then-Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA). Police later said the shooter, who was killed at the scene, was motivated by anger toward Trump and GOP legislators.

Other presidential (attempted) assassinations 

The above-mentioned cases happened in the last decade, but American history books contain many more attacks on top-elected officials, several of them carried out successfully. The most notable attacks include the successful assassination of four sitting presidents: Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy, as well as several attempts that have directly hit the presidents but managed to survive, such as in the case of Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan.  The brother of the killed Kennedy was also targeted a few years later, who served as his Attorney General during his administration. Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated after giving a public speech following his victory in the California primary that he felt was the key to his own bid for the presidency. 

By Nazrin Sadigova