The September 10, 2025 murder of Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, marks another grim milestone in the rising tide of political violence across the United States. Kirk was fatally shot at 150+ yards while speaking to an audience of roughly 3,000 at Utah Valley University. Although law enforcement later recovered a high-powered bolt-action rifle and a shoe impression, the shooter remains at large and the motive is still unknown. Security at the event, provided by Kirk’s private team and campus police, is now under intense scrutiny. Experts have already flagged gaps in rooftop access control, outdoor monitoring, and perimeter security; failures that left a public figure vulnerable. In June 2025, a MAGA extremist impersonating a police officer killed Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband in their home, also killing their family dog. He then shot Senator John Hoffman and his spouse at their home. The assailant had a list of other targets, but his plans were thwarted upon his arrest.
Only weeks later, on August 8, a gunman unleashed nearly 200 rounds into six CDC buildings in Atlanta, killing a police officer and terrorizing public health employees. Investigators found writings linking the CDC attacker’s rage to disinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, underscoring how online disseminated conspiracy theories can translate into real-life deadly action. Together these events demonstrate that political violence in America has escalated beyond threats and harassment into lethal assaults on elected officials, public servants, and the institutions they represent.
Patterns emerge from these attacks that worry experts and public servants alike. Political violence is exponentially growing both in frequency and severity, with targets ranging from activist and politicians to scientists and media influencers, to frontline health workers and law enforcement. Disinformation and inflammatory rhetoric by alt-right and far-right groups act as accelerants, normalizing hostility and feeding radical beliefs. The CDC shooting, for example, appears to have been driven by vaccine misinformation, while political demonization of opponents has created a climate in which violence feels conceivable to extremists. And like a perfect storm, structural weaknesses in security planning, like inadequate perimeter controls or cuts to agencies charged with preventing extremism, have left public events and critical institutions exposed. The psychological toll is profound: elected officials and public health staff report heightened fear and declining morale, and some hesitate to speak out publicly for fear of becoming targets.
Federal leadership and the current administration has compounded the danger by severely undermining prevention efforts. The Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, a key initiative to counter targeted violence, has been dramatically downsized, reducing its ability to identify and intervene in threats. At the Department of Health and Human Services, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (a long-time vaccine skeptic) has significantly weakened public health credibility by disbanding vaccine advisory panels, limiting vaccination guidance, and making statements that many scientists say fuel distrust. The political dismissal of senior CDC leaders such as Susan Monarez has further eroded confidence in the agency’s independence.
Meanwhile, rhetorical habits at the highest levels have inflamed polarization. Within a few short hours of Kirk’s killing, President Trump and allies blamed the “radical left” despite the absence of confirmed motive or suspect, a pattern echoed in other attacks where identity politics and unverified claims overshadowed facts. In the CDC case, staff members described the White House and HHS response as tepid and delayed, noting an unwillingness to simply confront the role of misinformation or acknowledge how official statements can embolden extremists. Layoffs, budget cuts, and the erosion of advisory panels have weakened the very infrastructure meant to track threats, counteract disinformation, and protect nonpartisan, evidence-based governance.
Reversing this trajectory requires decisive and immediate action. Experts call for fully funding and expanding targeted violence prevention programs like DHS’s CP3 and ensuring they have the staff and transparency to act effectively. Security protocols for public events, from rooftop surveillance to robust perimeter control, must be strengthened, and Trump’s leadership must be held accountable for rhetoric that demonizes opponents or assigns blame before facts are known. Swift, unequivocal condemnations of violence are essential, as is insulating scientific and public health institutions from political interference to rebuild public trust. Countering misinformation through public education campaigns, supporting mental-health services, and enacting common-sense gun-safety measures, including stronger background checks and red-flag laws, are equally paramount. Without these essential steps, the nation risks a vicious spiral in which each act of violence heightens political tension and sets the stage for the next.
The killings of Charlie Kirk, Melissa Hortman, and the victims of the CDC attack are not isolated tragedies, but stark warnings. They reveal how unchecked rhetoric, disinformation, weakened institutions, and inadequate security combine to endanger both public figures and democratic norms. Addressing these interconnected threats with urgency and integrity is not simply a policy choice; it is a moral imperative to protect lives and safeguard the democratic fabric of the United States.
https://apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-shooting-political-event-security-utahuniversity-96303fe2bbc5da656118aa39f72a39c8
https://time.com/7308980/cdc-shooting-dark-sign-america/
https://abcnews.go.com/US/1-week-after-deadly-shooting-cdc-employees-feel/story?id=124611063
https://www.wlwt.com/article/charlie-kirk-shooting-political-violence-victims-reactions/66043005
https://apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-shooting-political-event-security-utahuniversity-96303fe2bbc5da656118aa39f72a39c8
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/08/27/susan-monarez-cdc-director-ousted/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/11/charlie-kirk-shooting-trump