The Assassin’s Delusion
People keep trying to kill the president. The closest call came in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024, when Donald Trump (then a candidate) had his head grazed by a bullet. Other apparent attempts include an incident at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, and possibly another that resulted in a Secret Service shooting at Mar-a-Lago in 2026. The latest would-be executioner, at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, was stopped long before he got anywhere near Trump. Nevertheless, these repeated incidents are disturbing symptoms of an obsession with vigilante violence that has infected the country.
TL;DR
- Assassination attempts and the rhetoric surrounding political violence are disturbing symptoms of a national obsession with vigilante violence.
- The idea that assassinating a president or any political figure would solve problems is delusional, as political movements and supporters persist beyond individual leaders.
- Nonviolent campaigns have historically been more successful than violent ones and are more likely to establish democratic regimes.
- Nonviolent methods can draw from all sectors of society, build broader coalitions, and foster defections, unlike violence which limits participation.
- Authoritarian regimes have historically used the pretext of chaos and violence to justify crackdowns and seize power.
- The article draws parallels to the Civil Rights Movement, noting that while nonviolence was advocated, the threat of more radical leaders sometimes incentivized dealing with figures like Martin Luther King Jr.
- A historical double standard exists in American tolerance for state and right-wing violence compared to violence from the left.
- Nonviolence is presented as the only way to create political change without causing generational wounds that make tolerance impossible.