Over the past three years, the American political landscape has been marred by a series of violent attacks, including assassination attempts, arson, and targeted shootings. These incidents have left a lasting impact on both the political climate and public consciousness.
Former President Donald Trump was the target of two such assassination attempts, managing to come out unscathed. In Pennsylvania, Governor Josh Shapiro narrowly escaped harm when an arsonist set his home ablaze. Meanwhile, Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, tragically lost his life when he was shot from behind on a Manhattan street. The violence didn’t stop there; Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was fatally shot by a sniper during a public speaking event, and various state officials have been murdered in the supposed safety of their own homes.
Experts are sounding alarms about the growing acceptance and occurrence of political violence, even as the overall murder rate hit its lowest point in 125 years by 2025. Notably, the victims of these violent episodes span the political spectrum, highlighting a disturbing trend in American society.
The following recounts some of the most significant incidents that have occurred during this turbulent period.
During a campaign rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump was surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents after coming under fire. The assailant, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, fired shots from a rooftop overlooking the rural rally, near Pittsburgh. The event, captured in an Associated Press photo by Evan Vucci, underscores the heightened security risks faced by politicians today.
July 13, 2024 — Trump rally shooting
Thomas Crooks, a 20-year-old Pennsylvanian, opened fire from a rooftop overlooking a campaign rally for President Donald Trump in Butler, a rural area near Pittsburgh.
A bullet grazed Trump’s ear. Two members of the audience survived gunshot wounds and one man, a 50-year-old firefighter and father of two named Corey Comperatore, died.
“Corey died a hero,” Shapiro told reporters after speaking with Comperatore’s wife Helen. “Corey dove on his family to protect them.”
Authorities have released few details about Crooks and his motive. He died when counter-snipers returned fire.
“As the survivor of two assassination attempts — and recently watching his dear friend Charlie be assassinated — no one understands the dangers of political violence more than President Trump,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital last week. “That’s why, following Charlie’s assassination, President Trump delivered powerful and unifying remarks urging all Americans to ‘commit themselves to the American values for which Charlie Kirk lived and died. The values of free speech, citizenship, the rule of law, and the patriotic devotion and love of God.’”
Sept. 15, 2024 — Sniper captured outside Trump golf course
Ryan Routh was accused of aiming an AK-47 at former President Trump while he was golfing at his course in West Palm Beach, Florida. Jurors later found him guilty in connection with a failed assassination attempt. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
Police arrested a 58-year-old man after U.S. Secret Service agents spotted a rifle barrel poking through the brush on the edge of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while Trump was playing a round.
Jurors found Ryan Wesley Routh, now 59, guilty in September. He has not yet been sentenced but could receive life in prison.
No one was injured during this incident.
Dec. 4, 2024 — The assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson pictured in an undated portrait provided by UnitedHealth. The executive was shot from behind and killed on his way to an investor conference in New York City in what prosecutors have described as a politically motivated assassination. (AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group via AP)
Brian Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two from Minnesota, was the CEO of one of the country’s largest health insurers.
A gunman approached him from behind outside a New York City hotel and shot him repeatedly in the back, killing him on the sidewalk.
Suspect Luigi Mangione has pleaded not guilty to a slew of charges in the case. State and federal trials are not expected to begin until late fall 2026 at the earliest.
According to investigators, they allegedly found journals in which he discussed the thought process going into the slaying and criticized the health insurance industry.
Luigi Mangione, charged with the murder of Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Healthcare, appears in State Supreme Court in Manhattan during an evidence suppression hearing in his case on Friday, December 12, 2025. (William Farrington for New York Post via Pool)
Mangione is accused of “meticulously” planning the murder with the motive of igniting a “public discussion about the healthcare industry,” per the Justice Department.
April 13, 2025 — Arson attack on Gov. Shapiro
An arsonist set off a fire at the Pennsylvania governor’s residence while Shapiro and his family were asleep inside.
The attack happened around 2 a.m. on the first night of Passover. The Shapiros are Jewish.
Governor Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania State Police provide an update on the act of arson that took place at the Governor’s Residence. (Commonwealth Media Services)
Cody Balmer, 39, has since pleaded guilty in connection with the fire and received a sentence of 25 to 50 years in prison.
Surveillance video shows he broke a window with a sledgehammer and threw a Molotov cocktail inside. Then he broke in through another window and threw another firebomb into the dining room but failed to break through a door that led to the bedrooms.
Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, during a re-election campaign kickoff event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 (Rachel Wisniewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
May 21, 2025 — Antisemitic shooting in DC
A gunman opened fire outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., killing a young couple — both victims being employees of the Israeli embassy.
The suspect, a 31-year-old pro-Palestinian agitator and far-left activist from Chicago named Elias Rodriguez, has pleaded not guilty. A trial date has not yet been set.
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were shot and killed as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum, pose for a picture at an unknown location, in this handout image released by the Embassy of Israel to the U.S. on May 22, 2025. (Embassy of Israel to the USA via X/Handout via REUTERS)
June 14, 2025 — Attacks on Minnesota lawmakers
Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and her husband were killed in their home in Brooklyn Park, a suburb of Minneapolis.
State Sen. John Hoffman, another Democrat, and his wife were both shot nearby in Champlin. They survived.
A single suspect has been charged with both attacks, 58-year-old Vance Boelter. He pleaded not guilty and is due back in a federal court in Minneapolis on Feb. 20.
This combo from photos provided by Minnesota Legislature shows from left, Senator John A. Hoffman and Rep. Melissa Hortman. (Minnesota Legislature via AP)
Sept. 10, 2025 — The assassination of Charlie Kirk
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old father of two, was delivering public remarks at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, when a sniper’s bullet pierced his neck.
He died as his security team rushed him to a nearby hospital.
Charlie Kirk speaks at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his “American Comeback Tour” when he was shot in the neck and killed. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
The suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, has pleaded not guilty and is due in court on Feb. 3 for the second day of a hearing on his defense team’s motion to have the prosecutor’s office kicked off the case.
Court documents have revealed text exchanges between Robinson and his trans lover that appear to show an opposition to Kirk’s conservative views motivated the crime.
“I had enough of his hatred,” Robinson allegedly wrote.
October 2025 — Alleged Border Patrol murder-for-hire plot
U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino was allegedly the target of a $10,000 murder-for-hire plot that failed to materialize, according to federal prosecutors.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino and his men stop at a gas station while on patrol on December 17, 2025, in Evanston, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Last week, jurors delivered a not guilty verdict for the man accused of orchestrating it, 37-year-old Juan Espinoza Martinez.
Espinoza Martinez, who is not a U.S. citizen, was accused of offering $10,000 for Bovino’s slaying over Snapchat after an ex-con business acquaintance and federal informant shared the post with investigators.
Jan. 6, 2026 — Vandalism at the Vance home
A 26-year-old Ohio man has been accused of vandalizing the Cincinnati home of Vice President JD Vance.
Vice President JD Vance speaks with Breitbart News Washington bureau chief Matthew Boyle at Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, Nov. 20, 2025, in Washington. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
The suspect, William DeFoor, has a history of vandalism charges and mental illness, according to authorities.
“I appreciate everyone’s well wishes about the attack at our home,” Vance wrote on X. “As far as I can tell, a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows.”
His family was in Washington, D.C., at the time, he added.
