The assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump is the most serious attempt on the life of a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. But even prior to Saturday’s shooting, political violence–primarily directed at private individuals, rather than elected officials–is at its worst since the 1970s, according to a 2023 report from Reuters, which at the time identified 213 cases of political violence since the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. Of those documented cases, 39 resulted in deaths. Neighbors shot and killed neighbors. One-on-one arguments turned into fatal brawls. Politically-motivated mass killings, such as in the 2022 shooting at a Buffalo grocery store and the killing of social justice advocates in Portland, ended the lives of 24 people.
This moment in political history, especially when the rhetoric has reached fever pitch and the access to firearms remains so omnipresent, feels catastrophic and uniquely dangerous. Over the weekend, President Biden attempted to alleviate some of the contention, condemning the attack and calling for Americans to resolve their political differences without violence. Politicians elsewhere, including in Virginia, have echoed the sentiment, and Trump himself said he intends to rewrite his speech at the Republican National Convention to tone down the rhetoric and promote a message of unity. What that message looks like, and whether it will be enough to curb the threat of violence, potentially inspired by the appearance of political martyrdom, remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Trump’s just-announced vice presidential pick, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, blamed the attack on rhetoric from the Biden campaign. “Today is not just some isolated incident,” Vance posted on X about two hours after the incident. “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”
Below is a round-up of responses from state politicians, who by and large expressed outrage and sadness at the attack and called for peace and civility going forward. The assassination attempt will almost certainly have an appreciable impact on how the Commonwealth votes in November. According to the most recent New York Times/Siena College poll, Biden leads Trump by three percentage points in Virginia, a far cry from his ten-point victory in 2020.
Governor Glenn Youngkin.
Congresswoman from the 7th District and Democratic Candidate for governor, Abigail Spanberger.
Congressman Bob Good from Virginia’s 5th Congressional District and Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus.
Congressman Morgan Griffith from Virginia’s 9th Congressional District.
Senator Mark Warner, Chairman of the Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence.
Senator Tim Kaine.
Republican candidate for Senate, Hung Cao, who is endorsed by former President Trump.
Joint statement from the House of Delegates: Speaker Don Scott (D) and Minority Leader Todd Gilbert (R).
State Senator, Glen Sturtevant from the 12th District.
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney.
Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears.
*Illustration based on photo by Evan Vucci
