The number one threat to the United States is not a foreign government or fringe militia, but tens of millions of mainstream Americans who now support political violence. This normalization of violence within the body politic represents a new, more dangerous era.
Recent survey data reveals a shocking escalation: 65 million Americans support using force to prevent Donald Trump from being president, while 40 million support him using the military on protestors. This totals over 100 million Americans endorsing political violence.
Survey experiments reveal that the phrase "use of force" is not a euphemism for protest. When probed, 55% of those who support using force to prevent Trump from being president specify they mean assassination, often with rifles.
The common narrative that most political violence comes from the right is based on data starting in the 1990s. Analysis since 2015 shows a new era of 'violent populism' with violence becoming heavily balanced between the left and the right.
Mass support for political violence creates a crucial motivator for volatile individuals: social approval. The expectation that their actions will be celebrated by millions nudges them over the edge to commit violent acts, a dynamic amplified by social media.
The stereotype of a young, rural, unemployed male extremist is false. Data from January 6th shows 45% were business owners or white-collar professionals like doctors and engineers. The new face of political violence is educated, employed, and middle-class.
Well-off individuals engage in political violence because they are terrified that the opposing party, upon winning, will dismantle their way of life, future, and their children's future. This perceived existential threat makes them willing to risk their comfortable lives.
Widespread public support for political violence acts like combustible material. It may lie dormant, but it can be ignited into a wildfire of action by a single focal point, such as a contested election result or the certification of a vote.
The primary problem isn't the small number of violent extremists, but the far larger population that sympathizes with them. This mass support normalizes and encourages violence, creating the environment for it to flourish, as seen in conflicts from Northern Ireland to the US.
The root cause of America's era of violent populism is not a single politician but two major social changes reaching a tipping point: the transition to a white-minority democracy and a massive wealth transfer to the top 1%, creating a zero-sum mentality for everyone else.
Scientific studies show that foreign adversaries like Russia can only amplify America's existing internal divisions by about 10-20%. They cannot create widespread civil unrest out of whole cloth, proving that the nation's current discord is primarily a domestic problem.