The Violence We Normalize

November 25, 2025
Ty Tan and Lindsey Zhao

“No Kings 2.0” was one of the largest single days of protest in US history, a demonstration of the discontent many Americans are experiencing right now. But while these protests may have occurred peacefully, violent ideas are swirling amongst demonstrators. Since 2024, overall support for political violence in the US has remained at a constant 20%. However, this fails to paint the whole picture, as the left and right have had inverse trendlines in their support for political violence. Initially, it may appear that Americans are coming to believe political violence is justified—yet actual support, intent, and willingness to act may not be reflective of headline figures. Instead, the danger itself doesn’t lie in radical minorities: it’s a normalization of violent rhetoric that undermines democratic norms across the system. As more and more Americans are willing the act, the risk of violence only increases.

What 20% Gets Wrong

While 20% of Americans support political violence, this statistic is faulty in what it signals. Even if historical levels of support for political violence are heightened, left-leaning support for political violence has risen, but right-leaning support has fallen. Data from Brookings suggests that from 2024 to 2025, left-leaning support for political violence increased by 9%, while right-leaning support decreased by 12%. As participants of contemporary progressive protests derive primarily from the left, it may signal that joining nonviolent protests is simply an outlet for their political dissatisfaction, rejecting the notion that political violence is necessary. However, it also aligns closely with the rise of left-wing terrorism, where, up until July 4 of this year, five left-wing attacks had occurred, setting a record-breaking violent trajectory for 2025. Thus, while right-wing violence appears less substantive, left-wing violence is on the rise.

Additionally, a stated belief in political violence isn’t necessarily a measure of intention to commit violence. Statistics surrounding support for political violence can’t differentiate between hypothetical support vs actual willingness. When Americans grow increasingly supportive of movements without taking action, leaders and activists struggle to galvanize support despite their supposed interest. Polling can still exaggerate support through wording, emotional priming, and hypothetical framing, and headline events like the death of Charlie Kirk can embolden violent rhetoric. However, it's important to acknowledge that despite headline moments of violence, overall political violence is at historic lows, a noteworthy trend amidst heightened tensions. But if actual support for political violence is so low, why does the risk feel at its breaking point?

The Normalization of Violent Rhetoric

The true threat of 20% isn’t that they will all mobilize, but that their violent rhetoric is now the mainstream, inciting violence amongst the radical minority. For election officials, judges, and lawmakers, not only are they facing political threats—such as bomb threats against Texas lawmakers—but they’re also inciting violence amongst supporters. Applying hostile and apocalyptic language, even trusted officials are using strong language to attack the other side. Worse, the public is now normalizing these very threats of violence in the mainstream. When 73% of Americans feel political violence is a serious threat, headline violence—like the death of Charlie Kirk—only empowers radical violence even more. Social media hypes up this violence, as this “fight back” mentality demonizes opponents. This normalization inevitably erodes democratic norms, inciting physical violence across the spectrum. In essence, a rhetorical escalation of violence desensitizes the entire public, lowering the threshold for accepting violence while increasing the likelihood that a minority will “fight back” for them. This sad shift reflects the fringe political violence seen in 2020-2021, where right-wing ideas swiftly entered the mainstream and incited the violence we saw on the January 6 United States Capitol attack. Thus, you don’t need most Americans to support violence: just enough who think the moment calls for it.

So, the crisis of political violence isn’t in the data. Instead, it's in the discourse we see across America. Even if America isn’t on the brink of political violence, like many Americans fear, the drift toward normalization is worrying. Protecting our democratic norms begins by recognizing this violent drift is not driven by mobilization, but by the words we choose to incite it.