(NewsNation) — The fatal shooting of conservative political activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk is the latest act of political violence in 2025, a time when a recent poll shows most Americans believe such acts are part of a larger and disturbing trend.
The poll, conducted by YouGov, indicates that 9 in 10 Americans surveyed believe that political violence is problematic. Among respondents, 60% said that the issue represents a very big problem, while another 27% said that it is somewhat of a problem. Only 1% of those polls said political violence is not a problem at all.
Reuters reported Wednesday that the U.S. has experienced 150 politically motivated attacks in the first six months of 2025, twice as many as were reported in the same period last year. Mike Jensen, a University of Maryland researcher, called the slaying of Kirk and other incidents “horrifying, alarming, but not necessarily surprising.”
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Paul Rieckhoff, the host of the “Independent Americans” podcast, told NewsNation on Wednesday that the fatal shooting of Kirk at Utah Valley University, where the 31-year-old was speaking, is “part of a larger trend of violence related to our politics.”
“This is unfortunately seeming like it’s developing into our new normal, whether it’s conservatives or liberals,” Rieckhoff said. “And I think it’s a national security issue.”
Charlie Kirk fatally shot during Utah Q&A with students
Kirk, 31, was shot during an event at Utah Valley University as part of his “American Comeback Tour” on Wednesday. He was rushed to a local hospital but later died from his injuries.
Police said that the shooter was on the roof of a building 200 yards from where Kirk was speaking. Investigators said that the shooter, who remained at large as of Thursday, jumped off the roof and fled through a neighborhood.
Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk stands in the back of the room as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing-in ceremony for interim U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro in the Oval Office of the White House in May. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Investigators also announced that the high-powered, bolt-action rifle that is believed to have been used in the shooting has been recovered. Besides the spent cartridge recovered in the chamber, three other rounds were loaded in the magazine.
The weapon and ammunition are being forensically analyzed by law enforcement at a federal lab for clues that could help identify the shooter or the motive, The Associated Press reported.
NewsNation contributor Bill O’Reilly told “CUOMO” on Wednesday that Kirk’s death after being shot signals a larger issue with evil confronting both the United States and the world and that the U.S. is quickly approaching a breaking point.
“It didn’t used to happen, but now it does,” O’Reilly said. “Too many Americans and too many people all over the world are so self-involved, so selfish, so weak, so afraid that they are allowing evil to grow at an exponential rate, a rate that is horrifying.”
Gunman targets CDC buildings, kills Atlanta police officer
A gunman targeted four Centers for Disease Control and Prevention buildings in Atlanta in August before he was killed by police. Officer David Rose died in the shooting
Then CDC Director Susan Monarez reported that the suspect, Patrick Joseph White, 30, opened fire on the buildings before he was found dead inside a building near the CDC campus.
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Police investigated White’s motive and whether he was targeting the CDC. White’s father revealed to authorities that the COVID-19 vaccine made his son depressed and suicidal, NewsNation reported. He also acknowledged that his son had been very upset over the death of his dog.
A union representing CDC workers said the shooting was not random and “compounds months of mistreatment, neglect, and vilification that CDC staff have endured.” It demanded that federal officials condemn vaccine misinformation, saying it puts scientists at risk, The Associated Press reported.
2 students killed, 17 people injured in Minnesota Catholic school shooting
In August, two students at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis were killed and 17 other people were injured when a shooter, later identified as Robin Westman, opened fire on those attending Mass at the school.
The weapons used in the attack were purchased legally, and gun magazines had phrases such as “Kill Donald Trump” and “Where is your God?” written on them, according to police. Investigators said that they later found “disturbing writings and a whole lot of hate” but had not established a motive for the deadly shooting.
Investigators also announced that in addition to the messages found written on the gun magazines, another magazine had the names of other mass shooters and racial and antigay slurs.
People pray at a memorial at Annunciation Catholic Church after a school shooting, on Aug. 28, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that Westman was a transgender woman. The Associated Press reported Westman legally changed names at 17 from “Robert” to “Robin” and listed gender identity as the reason. Investigators said that Westman had a vendetta against the school and a “deranged fascination” with school shootings.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the organization is investigating the shooting “as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics.”
“Unfortunately, this does seem to be what is all too common in our county, which is this classic pathway to violence of just a deranged person who looks to cause mass violence for their own personal notoriety,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told NewsNation a day after the shooting.
Democratic Minnesota lawmakers targeted by gunman
In June, Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and her husband were shot and killed in what police characterized as a politically motivated assassination. Sen. John Hoffman was also seriously wounded in the shootings.
The suspect, Vance Luther Boelter, was captured in a rural part of the state after a multiagency dragnet.
Federal prosecutors said Boelter had gone to four homes as he sought to kill lawmakers disguised as a police officer. Boelter pleaded not guilty to a total of six criminal counts, including stalking and firearms offenses.
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Police said they discovered a manifesto inside a vehicle that police said was connected to Boelter. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said that leaders across the country need to do more to “discourage and deter” threats of violence for political means.
“All of us need to do to get back to a better place in terms of civility and political engagement,” Pawlenty told NewsNation. “We can have strong views, but we simply cannot tolerate the idea that we’re going to advance those views through violence.”
Israeli Embassy staffers killed in DC near Jewish museum
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, a research assistant and staffer who organized visits and missions to Israel, were shot and killed in May while they were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum.
The two died when a gunman approached a group of four people and opened fire, police said. The suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, began chanting “Free, free Palestine” when he was taken into custody by police after the shooting.
“However you think that this future between Israelis and Palestinians should continue, there is absolutely no justification under any circumstances whatsoever for the murder of Jews in America,” Amanda Berman, the founder and executive director of the Zioness Movement, told NewsNation.
Elon Musk’s properties set on fire after DOGE appointment by Trump
Several Tesla properties owned by Elon Musk were targeted this year with vandalism and protests after President Donald Trump appointed Musk to oversee the Department of Government Efficiency.
Police are investigating after several vehicles were set on fire at a Tesla service center, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP, File)/
As part of the protests against Musk, several Tesla dealerships, showrooms and charging stations around the country have been set on fire or vandalized in a grassroots movement called “Tesla Takedown.”
In one incident in New Mexico, a Tesla dealership was tagged with messages that read “Die Elon” and “Die Tesla Nazi.” One man was charged with federal crimes following the wave of violence against Tesla cars and dealerships.
The attack, which took place in the spring, saw a man hit with federal charges amid a wave of violence targeting Teslas and Tesla dealerships.
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Trump characterized those involved in the incidents as domestic terrorists. Former prosecutor and legal analyst Matt Murphy told NewsNation that while some incidents involving Musk’s vehicles were only considered vandalism, larger-scale attacks on Musk’s properties went far beyond.
“This is domestic terrorism, and this is something that people need to be aware of,” Murphy said. “This is not how we express our political opinion in the United States of America. And if you do and you get caught, don’t be surprised if you end up doing a lengthy prison sentence in federal prison.”
New Year’s Day act of terror in New Orleans kills 14, injures dozens more
Fourteen people died and 35 were injured when a Texas resident and former member of the United States military drove a car into a crowded intersection in New Orleans on Jan. 1.
The suspect, who was identified by the FBI as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, was shot and killed by police.
The New Orleans Police Department said officers responded to reports of a vehicle driving into a crowd at 3:17 a.m. Multiple people were hit before the vehicle crashed.
After the vehicle came to a stop, New Orleans police say the suspect opened fire on responding officers, who returned fire. The victim was shot and declared dead on the scene, authorities said. An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle, and the FBI was working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations after the attack.
The FBI later characterized the attack as an act of terror. Jensen, the Maryland researcher, told Reuters on Wednesday that given all of the acts of political violence, the future is grim.
“This is an (White House) administration that, whether you agree with it or not, has made profound changes to this country in the eight months it’s been in office,” Jensen said. “Some people love it, some people hate it. The people that hate it are starting to act out. People who love it are going to act out against those people that hate it, and it becomes a vicious spiral that could lead us into something really, really bad.”
