Eight in 10 Americans are worried that the country is spiraling out of control after former President Trump’s assassination attempt over the weekend, according to a survey released Wednesday.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted just days after a gunman opened fire at Trump’s campaign stop in Butler, Pa., on Saturday, found that 80 percent of registered voters are worried about political violence, and it doesn’t vary by political party.
The 20-year-old gunman, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, climbed onto a roof near Trump’s rally and had a clear line of vision to where the former president was speaking. He fired off multiple shots, one of which grazed Trump’s ear. Crooks and one event attendee were killed in the shooting, and two other attendees were critically injured, per the Secret Service.
Trump was tackled and protected by Secret Service agents, and when they raised him to his feet, he raised a fist and was seen saying “Fight!” before being rushed offstage.
The survey found that 84 percent of registered voters are worried that extremists will commit acts of violence after the upcoming election if they are unhappy with the outcome. When broken down by party, 90 percent of Democrats, 77 percent of Republicans and 81 percent of independents said they are concerned about political violence around the election.
Nearly all respondents said it was not acceptable for a member of their political party to commit violence to achieve a political goal, according to the poll.
The assassination attempt evokes memories of past presidents being shot, and leaders from both sides of the aisle have called for Americans to tamp down the political division and condemned political violence of all kinds.
It also continues a trend of violence that includes the 2022 attack against former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif) husband, and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
The survey was conducted July 16 among 1,202 people and has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.