Researchers are sounding the alarm about a rise in “assassination culture” — the same thing Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk warned of months before a sniper’s bullet took his life as he spoke in front of a crowd of students on a Utah college campus last week.
The Network Contagion Research Institute and the Rutgers University Social Perception Lab teamed up in a recent intelligence report on the issue, warning that arsons targeting Tesla cars and the idea of “killing billionaires” has become a “meme aesthetic for political violence” — especially among the far-left.
“Political violence targeting Donald Trump and Elon Musk is becoming increasingly normalized,” researchers warned, citing the attempt on Trump’s life during a campaign rally last year. “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.”
Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Supreme Court for a hearing in the murder case filed against him for killing UHC Brian Thompson September 16 2025 (Curtis Means for DailyMail/Pool)
At the scene of Thompson’s murder, outside a hotel where he was supposed to attend an investor conference later that morning, police said they found bullet casings with messages written on them that are believed to have been critical of the health insurance industry.
WATCH: Supporters of Luigi Mangione Leave Court
Before Utah police captured 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, the suspected assassin behind the shooting of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk last week, police recovered the suspected murder weapon, loaded with rounds with more etchings on their casings — including online memes and references to fighting fascism.
Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect in the shooting death of Charlie Kirk, appears by camera before Judge Tony Graf of the 4th District Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, for his initial appearance in Provo, Utah. (Scott G Winterton/Pool via Deseret News)
Robinson is accused of firing a single shot, which struck Kirk in the neck in front of a courtyard packed with UVU students and other spectators. He was arrested 33 hours after the slaying, when authorities said his father persuaded him to turn himself in.
Kirk, like Thompson, was also a father of two. He was speaking at Utah Valley University Wednesday at an event sponsored by the campus chapter of Turning Point USA, the conservative youth group he founded.
Evan LePatner and Wesley LePatner attend DiMenna Children’s History Museum Family Benefit Party 2018 on January 20, 2018 in New York City. (Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Authorities have ramped up security measures in the wake of Kirk’s murder. The NYPD reportedly issued a threat assessment warning that business leaders, political figures and other public personalities may be at increased risk for assassination, and the Trump administration asked Congress Monday for nearly $60 million in additional executive and judicial branch security funding.
Researchers urged “political and cultural leadership” to condemn the violence. They also called for continued monitoring of the apparent trend.
