Summary
President Trump and Vice President JD Vance claim that political violence is currently more of a problem among left-wing groups. A recent study says left-wing attacks in 2025 have outnumbered right-wing ones for the first time in over 30 years, but previous years showed higher levels of right-wing violence. The complexity of defining political violence and aligning it to specific ideologies makes it challenging to draw clear conclusions.
Key Facts
- President Trump and Vice President Vance have blamed the left for political violence following Charlie Kirk's death.
- A 2025 study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reported that left-wing attacks outnumbered right-wing ones for the first time in over 30 years.
- For the 30 years before 2025, right-wing violence was more common according to research.
- The federal government lacks a standard definition of "political violence."
- Trump's administration has labeled antifa as a “terrorist threat” and plans to investigate left-wing groups they believe fund violence.
- Political violence in the US is a small part of overall violent crime but has significant societal impacts.
- The CSIS study analyzed 750 attacks and plots in the US from 1994 to 2025.
- The study found that pinpointing the ideologies behind political violence can be difficult.
