A call to reject all political violence
On July 13, 2024, President Donald Trump was grazed by a bullet fired by a sniper during an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. One attendee was killed, and two others were seriously injured.
Two months later, a second assassination attempt on Trump was foiled by the U.S. Secret Service at a Florida golf course.
On April 13, 2025, the home of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was firebombed as the Democrat and his family slept inside.
A few months later, two Democrats serving in the Minnesota Legislature were targeted in separate attacks. State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were shot.
And then last week, prominent conservative Charlie Kirk — a young father and husband — was gunned down during an event on a Utah college campus as he debated gun violence with the audience.
All of these cowardly acts occurred within just 14 months. The common thread is not the perpetrators’ ideologies, but the choice of violence over discourse — a sickness harbored within both political extremes.
We are spiraling as a nation, desperately in need of unified leadership that universally and unequivocally condemns all acts of political violence. Yet here we are, with Kirk’s tragic death already being wielded by politicians and pundits as a wedge to further divide us.
It’s not too late to stop the swirl of unhinged discord. A change in tone is possible — and it should start at the top.
Trump ordered flags at half-staff through Sunday to honor Kirk — an ardent MAGA influencer — and he plans to award him posthumously with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
He should seize the opportunity to unify the country by also honoring Hortman, a mother of two who was regarded by colleagues as a selfless public servant. A commemorative award and a forceful condemnation of her and her husband’s assassination would send a clear message from the bully pulpit: political violence of any persuasion will not be tolerated.
As the victim of a senseless attack himself, Trump is uniquely positioned to share this message, and as president, he has an obligation to choose the path toward healing and uniting the nation.
We’d also do well as individuals to reflect on how we talk to and treat each other. An intolerance for opposing views and the repeated choice of violence over dialogue have eroded the principles this nation was built on — and what makes it great. Dialing down the rhetoric and embracing a willingness to listen is just the tip of the iceberg, but it’s a fine place to start.
The sooner we stop pointing fingers, the sooner we can begin to address the root causes of all that ails our nation.