The plague of violence destroys the USA. Donald Trump adds his three grosze
Republicans and Democrats warn against growing violence aimed at officials. The alarm among politicians is the result of a series of attacks, including murders in Minnesota.
Violence has achieved climax This weekend, when the chairwoman of the Chamber of Representatives in Minnesota Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot at their home on Saturday early in the morning by a striker dressed as a policeman. Another democratic politician from the same state, senator John Hoffman, and his wife were injured during a separate attack, which according to the services was carried out by the same perpetrator. Minnesota Tim Walz, a former Democrats candidate for Vice President, even went to give a command to the Public Security Department to recommend citizens to avoid political events due to the threat to their safety.
Secretary of State Minnesota Steve Simon warned that the brutality that the region experienced on Saturday is not a unique phenomenon for Minnesota, but rather a part of a wider trend in which Political hostility turns into acts of violence.
“Political violence is a disease,” said Simon, a democrat. – And unfortunately it intensifies. I want to say clearly that recently We had examples of this phenomenon on both sides of the political scene. I am really very concerned about where it is all going.
He added that “committing such deeds, encouraging them, pretending to be not seen, all this is He poisons our democracy even more“
Threats at the beginning of the day
According to legislators from the entire spectrum of political threat of violence, and even murders that were once rare, are now common. The tensions resulting from increasing polarization turn into acute confrontations. The Saturday shooting took place exactly eight years after the Republican Congressman Steve Scalise, the leader of the majority in the House of Representatives, was shot and wounded during baseball training in Virginia.
– We all get the threats of death and threat of violence quite regularly – said Jared Huffman (Democrat of California) about his colleagues from Congress. – Just go to the internet to see all this hatred and venom, which pulsate mainly in right -wing politics and right -wing platforms, but it is also present on the left.
However, threats are not limited to the network.
“People appeared in front of my house,” said Secretary of State Michigan Jocelyn Benson, a democrat candidate in next year's governor's elections. – We were victims of swatting attacks [fałszywe zawiadamianie służb]we received bomb threats. I experienced all these things in my home. When such things happen, it is a devastating reminder of the reality in which we currently live.
In 2020, several men were accused of conspiracy to kidnap the Governor of State Michigan Gretchen Whitmer to cause a civil war. Two suspects were later convicted of offenses related to this incident. President Donald Trump recently proposed pardoning men convicted of participating in the kidnapping conspiracy.
Huffman said that together with other members of the Congress “take all precautions” to increase their safety. They have never considered such actions necessary in the United States before. Last year, federal officials for financing election campaigns approved the possibility of using Congress members and candidates from electoral funds for a wide range of personal security measures due to threats that they are currently routinely encountered.
Words have power
Republican member of the Chamber of Representatives from the New York District Mike Lawler, who has small children, said that he also strengthened his protection in the last year, because “people lost their sense of responsibility and personal culture”
– I think both parties have to realize that Some statements really have serious consequences The politician noticed, referring to the attempts to attack Trump's life in July and September. – The way in which various matters are described, as people talk about the actions taken by the authorities, all this has a destructive impact on public discourse and, to be honest, exposes people's lives. I hope that people will be aware of this because it is really destructive – he added.
US President Donald Trump, June 12, 2025
Members of the Congress and the Police of Capitol have been warning about the severity of threats to federal legislators for years. However, this increase is particularly severe for state legislators. Many of them work only part -time and do not have such resources as federal officials chosen in elections.
“If Trump is supposedly the best protection in the world and is unable to stop it, how can they feel safe?” – said Amanda Litman, a co -founder of the group recruiting Democrats. – I think we came to the conclusion – we want to be really honest with people – that We cannot guarantee safety all the time. The only thing we can do is control what we can control.
However, some political experts say that the increase in violence is additionally fueled by the rhetoric and the action of the Trump administration and other Republicans.
Donald Trump adds his three grosze
“This is not a nuclear physics,” said Steve Levitsky, a political scientist from Harvard, co -author of the book “How Democracies Die” [“Jak umierają demokracje”] from 2018 – you tolerate riots from January 6. You give them all or almost everything, including those who physically attacked officers, pardoning and treat them like heroes. You send unmarked cars with masked agents reminiscent of guards who kidnap people from the streets. You have created an atmosphere that not only tolerates political violence, but even encourages it.
Trump referred to the Saturday shooting and said that “such terrifying violence would not be tolerated in the United States of America.” The White House did not immediately respond to Levitsky's criticism.
The escalation of violence occurs in the context of severe political tensions. On Saturday, millions of Americans went out into the streets to protest against Trump's military parade and the last immigration repression of his administration.
Huffman drew attention to the challenge facing the democrats who must find a balance between resistance to the president, whom they characterize as an authoritarian leader and maintaining peaceful protests without escalation.
“I don't want to censor my statements, I don't want to withdraw in any way, but I don't want to fuel the fire that can lead to violence, so I just try to keep this difficult balance,” said Huffman. – We are also fighting for democracy and our rights against the authoritarian president who is trying to be a dictator, and it cannot be embellished, this is reality.
– So how do you face it without contributing to the escalation that can lead to violence? Huffman asked. – It's not easy.
