Several incidents of political violence occurred before, during, and after the 2024 United States presidential election. The years surrounding the 2016, 2020, and 2024 elections have seen political violence as the United States has entered an era of political violence unseen since the Civil Rights Era or the Antebellum period due to the rise of extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. Many political and anthropological experts such as Barbara F. Walter and Neil Howe have hypothesized that the United States is nearing a second civil war or era of political violence unseen in American history since the 1860s.
Background Several scholars, lawmakers, intelligence agencies, and the members of the public have expressed concerns about political violence surrounding the 2024 election. The fears come amidst increasing threats and acts of physical violence targeting public officials and election workers at all levels of government.
Since the 2020 election and continuing into the 2024 election, the election denial movement in the United States has prompted thousands of death threats directed at election workers, officials, and their families, with some receiving letters laced with fentanyl. Threats have led some election workers to resign and have affected recruitment of temporary poll workers. Efforts to protect election workers are diverse, including active shooter drills, provision of trauma kits and Narcan, and the use of bullet-proof vests, bullet-resistant glass, metal detectors, various kinds of barriers, armed guards, police snipers, drones, and security cameras. However, many boards of election lack the funds for such efforts.
In October 2024, Reuters reported that they had identified at least 300 cases of political violence since the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack by Trump supporters, with 51 cases identified between January and October 2024. The pace of incidents have risen since Trump first took office in 2016, with 93 cases reported at its peak in 2020. An August poll by the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University indicated that respondents expected "a lot" or " a great deal" of political violence after the election. An October AP-NORC poll found that 27% of Republicans and 42% of voters overall were either extremely or very worried about post election violence. In a NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released on November 4, 72% of likely voters reported being concerned about violence as a result of the election.
Trump has been identified as a key figure in increasing political violence in America both for and against him. Political violence is at its highest since the 1970s, and most recent violence has come from right-wing assailants. Trump has increasingly embraced far-right extremism, conspiracy theories such as Q-Anon, and far-right militia movements to a greater extent than any modern American president. Trump has espoused dehumanizing, combative, and violent rhetoric and promised retribution against his political enemies. Trump has played down but refused to rule out violence following the 2024 election, stating "it depends". Trump has suggested using the military against "the enemy from within" on Election Day that he described as "radical left lunatics", Democratic politicians, and those who oppose his candidacy.
Other political leaders in the United States have also used violent or extremist rhetoric, such as Ohio Republican George Lang who said it may take a civil war to "save America" if Trump loses the election. Following the January 6 United States Capitol attack, 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called for the "formal deprogramming" of MAGA's "cult members".
Preparation against In the days before the election, the states of Washington, Oregon, and Nevada put their National Guard troops on standby as a precaution for potential election unrest. In Washington DC, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith reported that the police will be working 12-hour shifts and depending on events the potential to have longer shifts so that there would be officers throughout the city. Additional fencing was erected around the White House and the Naval Observatory, which contains the Vice Presidents residence, and other businesses in the area had boarded up windows.
Political violence
Assassination attempts on Trump
On July 13, 2024, Trump survived an assassination attempt while addressing a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was shot and wounded on his right ear by Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, who fired eight rounds with an AR-15–style rifle from the roof of a building located approximately from the stage; the shots killed audience member Corey Comperatore and critically injured two other audience members. Seconds later, Crooks was shot and killed by the U.S. Secret Service's counter-sniper team. The motive and cause of the assassination attempt are still under investigation by authorities. On September 11, 2024, a bipartisan Senate report identified tech issues and other preventable mistakes by the Secret Service during the event. On September 15, 2024, Trump survived a separate assassination attempt at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The suspect did not fire his weapon, and no deaths or injuries were reported. The suspect, Ryan Routh, is in custody. In August, a Pakistani national was arrested for allegedly plotting to assassinate Trump.
Ballot attacks
In October 2024, a series of arson incidents targeted ballot drop boxes across the United States during the election. Fires set in ballot drop boxes have occurred in Washington, Oregon, and Arizona, resulting in damage to hundreds of ballots. Ballot drop boxes are widely used in the United States for mail-in voting, particularly in states with established vote-by-mail systems such as Washington and Oregon. In 2024, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned that ballot drop boxes were at risk, identifying them as "soft targets" for potential interference. These attacks emerged days before the election, intensifying concerns over voter access and the security of election systems.
Washington and Oregon On October 28, 2024, an incendiary device was placed inside a ballot drop box near the Multnomah County Elections Division office in Portland, Oregon. The fire suppression system prevented major damage, although three ballots were affected. Security was subsequently increased around ballot boxes in Multnomah County.
On the same day, a fire broke out inside a ballot drop box at Fisher's Landing Transit Center in Vancouver, Washington, damaging hundreds of ballots. Firefighters quickly contained the flames, but officials from Clark County advised any voter who submitted ballots after 11 a.m. the day prior to request a replacement ballot. In response, additional security measures were put in place, including increased surveillance and monitoring.
Security footage suggested a possible link between the Portland and Vancouver incidents, showing a similar vehicle at both scenes. The attacks took place less than an hour apart from each other, and occurred less than two weeks before the 2024 United States presidential election. A prior arson attack from October 8, 2024, against a separate Vancouver ballot box, in which no ballots were damaged, was also linked to the October 28 attacks. Prior to the fires, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security had issued a bulletin raising concerns about "election-related grievances" could motivate domestic extremist activity and that ballot drop boxes could be seen as "attractive targets".
Arizona In Phoenix, Arizona, a fire was started in a mail collection box, destroying some ballots and other mail. A suspect was arrested and claimed that he was trying to be arrested and that the fire was unrelated to the election. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes assured affected voters that they would receive replacement ballots.
Response and impact Local and state officials, including Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, denounced these arson attacks as direct threats to democratic processes. Election offices in affected areas responded by implementing enhanced security measures, including 24-hour monitoring of ballot drop boxes, to ensure the safety and accessibility of the voting process. These incidents underscored a broader national concern over election security amid heightened political tensions. U.S. Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Joe Kent, opposing candidates for Washington's 3rd congressional district, both condemned the arson attacks. Shasti Conrad, chair of the Washington State Democratic Party, said the attacks represented an attempt at voter disfranchisement.
Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), along with state and local law enforcement agencies, is actively investigating these incidents. Authorities in Arizona have identified a suspect, while the cases in Washington and Oregon are still under investigation, with efforts to determine potential connections between the incidents. Security measures continue to be reinforced as investigations proceed. The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and Vancouver Police Department used materials from the incendiary devices attached to the ballot boxes to draw a connection between the Portland and Vancouver attacks. Authorities also found a link between the October 28 incendiary devices and an incendiary device from a separate Vancouver ballot box attack on October 8. A bomb squad removed the October 8 device with no damage to the ballots. In a joint statement, the FBI and district attorney Tessa M. Gorman announced an investigation into the three fires.
The suspect in the Portland and Vancouver attacks was described by the PPB as a white male between 30 and 40 years old, "highly knowledgeable in metal fabrication and welding", with a medium to thin build. Investigators also sought information on a black or dark-colored Volvo S60 with no front license plate, and released two images of the vehicle in question. Police cautioned that the perpetrator likely intended to continue the attacks. The New York Times reported that two law enforcement officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, claimed the words "Free Gaza" were marked on the October 28 incendiary devices, and "Free Palestine" on the October 8 incendiary device. It was unclear to investigators whether the writings reflected the views of an actual pro-Palestine activist or someone trying to "sow discord" in the United States.
Campaign headquarters and workers violence Between September and October, the Democratic Party's campaign office in Tempe, Arizona, was hit by gunfire. The office was shut down on October 6, after the third shooting. After looking for campaign materials for Trump at a tent at a VFW in St Clair Shores staffed by the St Clair Shores Democratic Club, the 55-year-old man reportedly yelled derogatory and anti-LGBTQ slurs and insults at the group. Before leaving he claimed that Trump would win and that he would "exterminate" people like them before entering his vehicle and accelerating towards them. He was later arrested and charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and three counts of ethnic intimidation.
Threats and suspicious packages As of March 2024, the Department of Justice's Election Threats Task Force had charged 20 people with threat-related crimes. In September 2024, suspicious packages were sent to state election officials in Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Wyoming. This resulted in evacuations in several states. The inclusion of white powder in most of the packages mirrored the 2001 anthrax attacks, but the substance in the Oklahoma delivery was identified as flour.