Right-wing political violence is more frequent, deadly than left-wing violence

"President Donald Trump claimed that radical leftist groups foment political violence in the US, and "they should be put in jail." "The radical left causes tremendous violence," he said, asserting that "they seem to do it in a bigger way" than groups on the right. Top presidential adviser Stephen Miller also weighed in after Kirk's killing, saying that left-wing political organizations constitute " a vast domestic terror movement.""

"But policymakers and the public need reliable evidence and actual data to understand the reality of politically motivated violence. From our research on extremism, it's clear that the president's and Miller's assertions about political violence from the left are not based on actual facts. Based on our own research and a review of related work, we can confidently say that most domestic terrorists in the US are politically on the right, and right-wing attacks account for the vast majority of fatalities from domestic terrorism."

President Donald Trump blamed radical leftist groups for political violence after Charlie Kirk's Sept. 10, 2025 assassination and said they "should be put in jail." Top adviser Stephen Miller called left-wing organizations "a vast domestic terror movement" and pledged to use government resources to dismantle those networks. Researchers find those assertions are not supported by evidence. Most domestic terrorists in the United States are politically on the right, and right-wing attacks cause the majority of domestic-terrorism deaths. Political violence has risen recently, reporting is complicated by varying definitions and a removed DOJ study, and nearly half of states reported threats to election workers during 2024. The accused killer, Tyler Robinson, allegedly planned the attack in writing and online.

Read at Ars Technica