Majority of voters say the threat of political violence will increase if Trump is elected in November
More than half of registered voters say the threat of political violence will be greater if Donald Trump is elected this November, according to a new poll.
While 58 percent of registered voters think the threat of political violence will be greater under Trump if he is elected, 21 percent say it will fall, a poll from CBS News released Sunday reveals. Another 21 percent say there will be no change.
Just over 40 percent of registered voters say the threat of political violence will be greater if current Vice President Kamala Harris is elected, while 27 percent say it will decrease and 30 percent expect it to stay the same, according to the poll.
Roughly 83 percent of Harris voters believe the threat of political violence will be greater under the former president, while 63 percent of Trump voters say it will rise under the vice president if she wins.
The poll comes as GOP leaders blame Democratic rhetoric for the two assassination attempts against Trump this summer.
Last week, Republican vice president nominee Senator JD Vance said that the lack of assassination attempts against Harris are evidence that Democratic rhetoric is fueling violence against Trump.
“No one has tried to kill Kamala Harris in the last couple of months, and two people now have tried to kill Donald Trump in the last couple of months,” Vance said at a Faith and Freedom Coalition event. “I think that’s pretty strong evidence that the left needs to tone down the rhetoric or somebody is going to get hurt.”
Trump has similarly blamed Harris for the attempts on his life.
“The Rhetoric, Lies, as exemplified by the false statements made by Comrade Kamala Harris during the rigged and highly partisan ABC Debate...has taken politics in our Country to a whole new level of Hatred, Abuse, and Distrust,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Others, such Trump’s attorney Alina Habba, have blamed President Joe Biden as well.
“No president in this country, and I mean, no president, Republican or Democrat should be in this situation, not once, but twice,” Habba told Fox News on Friday.
“It’s an embarrassment to our country. It’s an embarrassment to President Trump,” she continued. “It’s an embarrassment frankly, to Harris and Biden, because they’re the ones in charge right now, and denying assets to a president and future, frankly, future president and the candidate that’s doing the best right now is a serious concern of mine.”
Harris and Biden have both denounced political violence, with the president even noting the Secret Service needs additional resources as Trump faces threats to his life.
“Thank God the president is okay,” Biden said last week. “But one thing I want to make clear: the Service needs more help.”
The first attempt on Trump’s life came in July, when Thomas Crooks opened fire at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Crooks, 20, shot Trump in the ear. He killed one attendee and injured two others.
Then, last weekend, officers arrested Ryan Wesley Routh for allegedly aiming an SKS-style rifle through the bushes at Trump National Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while the former president was playing a round.