US political violence grows more alarming

United States politicians from both sides of the aisle have called for a cooling of political violence after a shooting interrupted the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington on Saturday, which many view as a symptom of increasing polarization in the country.

"Violence is unacceptable,"Republican Governor of Oklahoma Kevin Stitt and Democratic Governor Wes Moore of Maryland said in a statement. "In moments like this, we are reminded that unity, civility and respect for one another matter more than ever."

House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Monday, "Political violence in any form directed at anyone — whether that's the right, the left or the center — is not acceptable."

Some Republican officials blamed Democrats for inciting the political violence with "inflammatory rhetoric", while civil leaders faulted political polarization for the increase in political violence.

Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of Legal Defense Fund, issued a statement condemning the "act of horrifying violence".

"Hate and violence have grown in a climate of deepening polarization, divisive rhetoric, and increasing dehumanization and disrespect for those with differing views," Nelson said.

"We cannot normalize this dangerous rhetoric or the violence that too often follows. Whether directed at public officials, journalists, law enforcement, or the public, such acts threaten the core values of our democracy," she said.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis from North Carolina said in a Sunday interview on NBC that people in the US need to "take a breath, confirm their facts, talk to their elected officials, think a bit before they judge people".

The suspect in Saturday's shooting, Cole Tomas Allen from California, was charged on Monday with an attempted assassination of the president of the United States, interstate transportation of a firearm to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Online comments revealed that people are worried about increasing political violence, with some saying the current administration was partially to blame.

They cited the administration's violent attitudes toward Greenland and Cuba, physical violence against Venezuela and Iran, and law enforcement violence against immigrants and US citizens.

"The problem with using violence against your citizens, violence against immigrants, violence against those you don't like, and violence to solve international problems, is that others begin to believe that violence is the way to solve problems," a reader of The New York Times commented.

More than 110 people were shot every day on average in the US, excluding suicides, according to 2025 data gathered by The Trace, a group tracking gun violence.

On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington said three people, including a 5-year-old, were injured in two shootings.

Mounting divisiveness

A poll by Pew Research Center released in October showed 85 percent of respondents said politically motivated violence is increasing.

Some 53 percent of those polled blamed it on the left wing, 52 percent on the right, and 47 percent on "people without clear political views".

Around 28 percent of Democrats said the rhetoric or behavior of President Donald Trump, the Make America Great Again movement or conservatives was the reason for recent politically motivated violence, while 16 percent of Republicans said it was a result of the rhetoric and behavior of liberals or Democrats.