An April report by the Network Contagion Research Institute and the Rutgers University Social Perception Lab showed the rising acceptance of political violence.
Following the July 13, 2024 attempted assassination of President Trump, tolerance – and even advocacy – for political violence appears to have surged, especially among politically left-leaning segments of the population. This pattern builds on a broader trend NCRI identified in two December 2024 reports which analyzed how viral social media narratives were legitimizing political violence, particularly in the aftermath of the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s assassination.
The left’s acceptance and even advocacy of violence against the famous has led to the targeting of conservative media figures and conservative social media influencers for “swatting,” which is the practice of calling the police and telling them that a dangerous, armed criminal resides in the target’s house. Heavily armed SWAT teams and police show up and roust a family out of bed, scaring adults and traumatizing children.
“A cheap form of terrorism,” says Reason.com’s J.D. Tuccille. The targeting has led Tuccille and thousands of other conservatives in the media to contact local authorities, warning them that any “emergency calls” to their address are bogus.
Since election day in 2024, the number of swatting incidents targeting conservatives has spiked. On March 14, FBI Director Kash Patel posted, “I want to address the alarming rise in ‘Swatting’ incidents targeting media figures. The FBI is aware of this dangerous trend, and my team and I are already taking action to investigate and hold those responsible accountable.”
Conservative writer Larry Taunton told his local CBS channel in Alabama that his family was swatted one night in March.
“When men arrive at your home heavily armed, body armor, tiptoeing around the perimeter of your home, that’s a serious situation,” he said.
On March 20, CNN’s Hadas Gold reported on a dozen conservative influencers who have been swatted. “Almost all the influencers who have publicized their recent swattings are conservative supporters of President Donald Trump.”
As terrorism goes, swatting isn’t as overtly dangerous as shooting political offices, torching Teslas and Tesla dealerships, firebombing a governor’s house, attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate, or murdering the CEO of a healthcare company. But there’s peril any time police are sent into potentially violent confrontations with the public. Andrew Finch was killed by police during one swatting incident in 2017 involving squabbling gamers (he had nothing to do with the dispute). Mark Herring died of a heart attack during another incident in 2020 caused by somebody who wanted his Twitter handle.
It’s enough to say that swatting has become a risky means of harassing people at a time of rising political violence across the United States. Last year, believing that Trump supporters were the greatest threat, former U.S. attorney Barbara McQuade referred to swatting incidents as “signs of a troubling escalation in political violence.”
If you’re online and visiting and commenting on conservative websites, you’re a potential target. It’s impossible to predict what will set off the left-wing crazies, but I already talked to my local police about six years ago when I began to get harassing emails from someone who didn’t like what I was writing. It doesn’t bring me peace of mind, but at least I feel I’ve done the minimum necessary to protect myself.
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