The Normalisation of Political Violence: How It Gained Acceptance — Especially Among Left-Wing Women, By Mrs. Vera West and Mrs. (Dr) Abigail Knight (Florida)

Jonathan Turley's April 28, 2026, column "A Nation Divided: The Chilling Embrace of Political Violence in the United States" paints a disturbing picture. Multiple surveys now show a growing minority of Americans — on both sides, but with troubling asymmetry — viewing violence as a legitimate tool against political opponents. What was once fringe is inching toward mainstream tolerance, particularly in certain demographics.

Turley highlights University of Virginia Center for Politics data: 41% of Biden supporters believe violence is justified to stop Republicans from achieving their goals (compared to 38% of Trump supporters for Democrats). A prior poll showed roughly one in four Americans now supporting political violence in some form. Another survey found one in seven embracing it outright, with nearly 10% saying it is "sometimes" warranted and 5% saying individual acts are "often" or "very often" justified. Faith in democracy is eroding: only 69% now say it is preferable to any other system, and 57% view the opposing party as a serious threat to the nation.

This shift didn't happen overnight. It emerged from years of dehumanising rhetoric, media amplification, academic moral relativism, and institutional capture.

How Political Violence Gained Popular Acceptance

Several cultural and institutional factors converged:

Dehumanisation and existential framing: When opponents are cast as "threats to democracy," "fascists," or "existential dangers," violence stops looking like crime and starts looking like self-defence. Turley notes the recent White House Correspondents' Dinner assassination attempt and social media celebrations of its near-success as symptoms of this mindset.

Moral relativism in elite circles: A New York Times podcast featuring radical voices cheerfully discussing justifications for everything from "microlooting" to murder exemplifies the erosion. When influential outlets and academics treat political violence as context-dependent rather than absolute evil, the taboo weakens.

Rage as political fuel: Democratic figures invoking "rage" as a motivator, combined with selective outrage (e.g., downplaying or contextualising Left-wing violence while amplifying the reverse), create a permission structure. Politicians wielding baseball bats as props or refusing to condemn extreme rhetoric reinforce the message.

Erosion of shared values: Declining trust in media (49% have little or no confidence) and institutions leaves people in echo chambers where their side's violence is "resistance" and the other side's is "terrorism."

The result: political violence is no longer universally condemned. It is increasingly rationalised.

The Striking Rise Among Left-Wing Women

One of the most surprising findings in 2026 surveys comes from the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) at Rutgers. In data that shocked even the researchers, women were significantly more likely than men to endorse political violence under certain conditions.

Among Left-of-centre respondents, 67% expressed at least some justification for the murder of Trump (up 11 points from 2025).

Women overall were ~15% more likely than men to justify violence against Trump and 21% more likely against certain Left-wing targets in hypothetical scenarios.

This "assassination culture" rise was especially pronounced on the Left and among women across ideologies.

Why women, particularly Left-leaning ones? Possible drivers include:

Emotional amplification via social media: Platforms reward outrage and moral signalling, which studies show can affect women differently due to higher average empathy and group-oriented psychology.

Cultural narratives: Intense framing of issues like abortion, gender, and "threats to democracy" as literal existential battles may resonate more strongly in some female demographics.

Institutional influence: Higher education and media consumption patterns, where Left-leaning women are overrepresented, correlate with exposure to relativist framing.

This does not mean most women (or most Left-wing women) support violence — majorities still reject it. But the shift in tolerance, especially the gender reversal from traditional patterns, signals deeper cultural breakdown.

The Danger to Freedom

Turley warns this is an existential threat. A society cannot survive when large minorities view fellow citizens as enemies warranting violence. The third assassination attempt on Trump, celebrations of past political killings (e.g., Charlie Kirk), and eroding democratic norms all point to the same rot.

Reversing this requires rejecting dehumanisation on all sides, rebuilding shared social identity, and recommitting to non-violent dispute resolution. Leaders and media must stop fuelling rage for power. Citizens must demand better.

The surveys are a warning, not destiny. But if tolerance for political violence — especially the surprising embrace among Left-wing women — continues to grow, the "nation divided" Turley describes may become something far darker.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/nation-divided-chilling-embrace-political-violence-us