Shock Poll: 55% of Left-Leaning Americans Justify Murdering a Major Political Figure. Is Digital Extremism Spilling Offline?
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
New Brunswick NJ, A disturbing new study from Rutgers University and the National Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) has brought to light an alarming trend: the growing acceptance—and even justification—of political violence and assassination, particularly among politically left-leaning segments of the U.S. population.
The report, titled “Assassination Culture: How Burning Teslas and Killing Billionaires Became a Meme Aesthetic for Political Violence,” suggests that high-profile events, such as the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump and the earlier murder of a healthcare CEO, are acting as catalysts, feeding into an emerging “assassination culture.” This is especially visible in online spaces where extreme ideation is being amplified and memeified.
Key Findings: The Normalization of Lethal Violence
The study surveyed 1,264 U.S. residents to empirically assess how normalized violence against prominent figures has become in public discourse. The results reveal a significant threat to political stability and public safety:
1. Shocking Justification for Murder
A substantial percentage of all respondents indicated that murdering major figures would be at least “somewhat justified”:
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Elon Musk: 31% of all respondents justified his murder.
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Donald Trump: 38% of all respondents justified his murder.
2. Ideological Drivers: The “Left of Center” Effect
This justification for lethal violence was overwhelmingly driven by respondents who self-identified as left of center (defined as Far Left, Liberal, and Slightly Liberal):
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Elon Musk’s Murder: 48% of left-of-center respondents justified it, with 10.7% saying it was “Completely Justified.”
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Donald Trump’s Murder: 55% of left-of-center respondents justified it, with 14.1% saying it was “Completely Justified.”
Note: Over half of all respondents who identified as left-of-center (56%) reported that the murder of Donald Trump would be at least somewhat justified.
3. Property Destruction is Highly Acceptable
The acceptance extends beyond targeting individuals to property destruction:
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Nearly 40% of all respondents stated it is at least somewhat acceptable to destroy a Tesla dealership in protest of Elon Musk’s involvement in the political administration.
4. The Memeification of Violence
The study found that support for these violent acts is highly correlated, suggesting it is part of a broader “assassination culture” underpinned by psychological and ideological factors.
Open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysis strongly suggests that certain social media platforms, specifically BlueSky, play a significant role in amplifying radical ideation. The study notes that the memeification of figures like Luigi Mangione (who murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson) is increasingly associated with direct calls for violence against figures like Musk and Trump.
From Digital Narratives to Offline Reality
The normalization of violence online is already spilling into the offline world. The report cites the unsettling example of a California ballot measure—cynically named “the Luigi Mangione Access to Health Care Act”—which directly references the CEO’s assassin.
The previous NCRI reports highlighted in the study already pointed to widespread justification for lethal violence—including assassination—among younger, highly online, and ideologically left-aligned users following the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s murder.
Conclusion: A Threat to Political Stability
The Rutgers/NCRI study provides stark empirical evidence of a rising tolerance for political violence and extremism. The data signals a clear and present threat to public safety and political stability, urging policymakers, tech platforms, and researchers to address how radical, violent ideation is metastasizing from online memes into core political beliefs.
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For about ten years, the mainstream media and Democrat politicians have been calling anyone with conservative views fascists, evil, and a threat to democracy, it’s no wonder their supporters feel compelled to eradicate the opposition. The party of peace and tolerance, my ass. I’ve never known such a demented bunch of people.
President Trump accused a group of Democratic lawmakers of sedition in an outburst on social media Thursday morning and said their behavior was “punishable by death.”
Their crime? Recording a video that reminded members of the military that they are not supposed to obey illegal orders.
“SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” Mr. Trump wrote in one post. He shared a different post, written by another person, that said: “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!”
The video that enraged the president had been put out online two days ago by six Democratic lawmakers, all of whom had served in either the military or intelligence community themselves.
So telling military personnel to disobey orders is okay? Libs are under the delusional impression that Trump is breaking the law.