July 13, 2024, was one of those dates that, for decades to come, people will play the "remember where you were when..." game. That was, of course, the day that a disturbed goblin took a shot at then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. The goblin - I won't repeat his name here - came within literally a whisker of killing President Trump, in the process wounding two and killing one, firefighter Corey Comperatore, who died heroically shielding his wife and daughter with his body.

My wife and I were enjoying our usual Saturday lunch at the lodge when the shooting occurred, and the man sitting at the next table looked over at me and said, "Well, Trump just won the election." It did give us - see above - an image that is probably the most powerful political image since Ronald Reagan stood at the Brandenberg Gate and thundered, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."

What is genuinely disturbing, though, is how this assassination culture has taken root in the left. An editorial at Issues & Insights has some troubling examples.

According to a Rutgers Social Perception Lab-Network Contagion Research Institute brief, 55.2% of Americans on the left “reported that if someone murdered Donald Trump, they would be at least somewhat justified.” Overall, 38.5% hold the same belief.

Trump, who has survived a pair of assassination attempts (one of which was celebrated), is not the only legitimate target, say many Americans. The data show that nearly half, 48.6%, say murdering Elon Musk would be justified.

It turns out that there has also been a shocking show of support for Luigi Mangione, who has been charged with murdering UnitedHealth Chief Executive Officer Brian Thompson. In addition, Mangione has a health care ballot initiative named after him in California.

The report’s authors say, “support for political violence – including property destruction and assassination – is not expressed in isolation, but as part of a tightly interconnected belief system.”

The I&I editorial board goes on, with quotes from people who command some influence with the left:

It’s an effort to dehumanize him, which is a tacit approval for violent behavior. To this end, various playactors, politicians, and grifters have:

• Wanted to punch Trump in the face (Robert DeNiro) 
• Wished they could “take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him” (Joe Biden)
• Wondered when “was the last time an actor assassinated a president” (Johnny Depp)
• Asked “where is John Wilkes Booth when you need him?” (actress Carole Cook), 
• Said the “donor class” is “still going to have go out and put a bullet in Donald Trump” (Rick Wilson, Lincoln Project),
• “Thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House” (Madonna)
• Felt inspired to “go and take out Trump tonight” (Rep. Maxine Waters)
• Wished publicly that “somebody would kill Donald Trump” (academic and New York Times columnist John McWhorter)
• Hoped that “maybe Donald Trump will go away. Maybe he’ll go to jail. Maybe he will die” (former Biden press secretary and current MSNBC misinformer Jen Psaki)

Where is this all headed?

See Also: Hakeem Jeffries Invokes Civil War Rhetoric, Suggests Republicans Are the Party of ‘Traitors’

Maxine Waters Goes Off the Rails Again, Suggests President Trump Deport First Lady Melania Trump

This nation has seen presidents assassinated, but none since the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963. There have been attempts since. Targets have included Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and, of course, Donald Trump, although many of those were attempts in name only and never got past the planning stage. But we should remember that Ronald Reagan, in 1981, was shot in an assassination attempt and arrived at George Washington University Hospital "close to death."

But in the half-century I've been paying attention to politics, I've never seen anything like this current trend, this cultural sickness, this attempt to normalize political assassinations. And the left, we must remember, has even tried to make it easier to kill a former president, specifically, President Trump. In 2024, while Trump was clinching the GOP nomination, nine House Democrats introduced House Resolution 8081 to strip President Trump's Secret Service protection. What purpose could that serve other than making it easier to carry out what so many on the left openly claim to favor?

Murder is not a legitimate political tactic. Yet more and more, the left openly favors violence and even assassination as a political weapon. Where will this all end?

I think we can all see the ultimate answer to that, should the left continue down this dark path - and I would remind those on the left, your side isn't the side with all the guns.

Leftist domestic terrorists are fire-bombing Tesla dealerships and harassing owners across the country. They must face justice.

Help us report on these terrorist attacks and expose the left's hate for those simply wanting to make America great again. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.