Political Violence

Cole Thomas Allen, a 31-year-old teacher and engineer from Torrance, California is accused by authorities of carrying out a politically motivated attack that allegedly resulted in an attempted assassination of President Donald J. Trump during an invite-only event at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Investigators allege the attack was premeditated, citing a written ‘manifesto,’ and indicators of ideological extremism. This case reflects the New Tolerance Campaign’s concern that sustained political dehumanization and extremist rhetoric can escalate beyond speech and into real-world violence. Allen has been charged with multiple serious offenses, and the investigation remains ongoing. All allegations are unproven and subject to the judicial process. The incident underscores the importance of confronting political hatred and ideological extremism before it manifests in acts of violence.

Ryan Wesley Routh, 59, was convicted of attempting to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald J. Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September 2024. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a Secret Service agent discovered Routh concealed along the golf course fence line and pointing what appeared to be an AK-47-style rifle in the agent’s direction. Authorities later recovered an SKS rifle with a scope, a loaded magazine, steel armor plates, and a camera positioned toward the golf course. Evidence presented at trial showed that Routh’s phone had accessed cell towers near Trump International Golf Club and Mar-a-Lago on multiple occasions in the weeks preceding the incident. Prosecutors also introduced a handwritten letter Routh had left with a witness months earlier in which he described his actions as an assassination attempt on Trump and expressed regret that it had failed. In September 2025, a federal jury convicted Routh on all five counts against him, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate and assaulting a federal law enforcement officer. On February 4, 2026, he was sentenced to life in federal prison plus 84 months.

On July 13, 2024, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire during a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, in an attack the FBI has investigated as an assassination attempt and potential domestic terrorism. Crooks fired eight rounds from an AR-15-style rifle from a rooftop overlooking the rally before he was killed by a U.S. Secret Service counter-sniper. Trump was struck by a bullet, while rally attendee Corey Comperatore was killed, and attendees David Dutch and James Copenhaver were wounded. The FBI’s investigation found evidence that Crooks engaged in significant preparation before the attack. After the rally was announced, Crooks registered to attend and searched online for the distance between Lee Harvey Oswald and President John F. Kennedy during Kennedy’s assassination. He subsequently traveled to the rally site in what investigators described as apparent early surveillance and practiced at a shooting range with what the FBI believed was the same rifle used in the attack. Investigators also determined that Crooks had purchased firearms-related items under an alias and materials used to construct explosive devices. Two potentially functional explosive devices were later recovered from his vehicle near the rally. Despite the extensive investigation, the FBI has not established a definitive motive for Crooks’ attack. The Bureau reported that it had found no credible evidence that he conspired with another person and said its investigation indicated that he acted alone. Investigators examined his electronic devices, accounts, search history and other records in an effort to understand what motivated the assassination attempt. The FBI also disclosed that investigators identified a social-media account believed to have been associated with Crooks in 2019–2020 containing more than 700 comments. FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate testified that some of the comments, if ultimately attributable to Crooks, appeared to contain antisemitic and anti-immigration themes, support political violence, and express extreme views.