A disturbing new trend is emerging on the American left. The political movement that once defined itself by its supposed commitment to “kindness,” “compassion,” and disdain for physical violence is now openly embracing assassination as a justified response to personal and political disagreements.

Nowhere has this alarming phenomenon been more obvious than in the reaction to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a husband and father of two who was gunned down on a New York City street by Luigi Mangione last December. Instead of decrying Mangione as a cold-blooded killer, much of the left has elevated him to the status of cult hero, celebrating him as a righteous warrior fighting against a corrupt healthcare industry.

Journalist Taylor Lorenz, who bills herself as a foremost expert on internet culture, served up the latest example of this grotesque sanctification of Mangione over the weekend. In an interview with CNN, Lorenz gushed about the 26-year-old killer, describing him as “handsome,” “smart,” and “morally good.” Those comments come after Lorenz told Piers Morgan last December that she felt “joy” about the killing, “along with so many other Americans.”

Lorenz is hardly alone in fawning over Mangione. As The New York Post has reported, “A Reddit community called r/FreeLuigi has more than 38,000 members, mostly girls and young women, who breathlessly proclaim Mangione’s innocence.”

Mangione is so popular on the left, in fact, that he may soon be enshrined in state law in California. A new ballot initiative in the Golden State is titled the “Luigi Mangione Act.”

This barely restrained adulation for Mangione is a microcosm of the broader embrace of politically motivated violence on the left. Just as liberals haven’t condemned Mangione, they’ve also tacitly endorsed the violence against Tesla owners, and last July many couldn’t even bring themselves to condemn two near-miss assassination attempts on Donald Trump.

A new survey from the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) reveals just how widespread the acceptance of political violence is on the left. According to that poll, 55 percent of self-identified left-of-center respondents said they would consider the murder of Trump “somewhat justified.” 48 percent expressed the same sentiment regarding Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Property destruction garnered even more support, with nearly 60 percent of left-leaning respondents viewing attacks on Tesla facilities as at least partially acceptable under certain circumstances.

These findings represent a chilling shift from traditional democratic norms, where political differences have been resolved through debate and voting rather than violence. Now, many on the left would rather simply eliminate their opposition.

The NCRI study identifies several key factors driving this change, including the role of social media platforms in amplifying extreme viewpoints and the emergence of Left-Wing Authoritarianism, an ideology that views force as a legitimate tool for achieving political goals.

A previous NCRI study from December 2024 found that each of the two known attempts on Trump’s life created what researchers identified as “permission structures” – where repeated exposure to violent rhetoric gradually normalizes extremist actions. “Social media platforms provide amplification, while psychologically susceptible individuals provide justification,” the study explains.

The normalization process was particularly pronounced among left-leaning respondents, where hyper-partisan ideology strongly correlated with support for political violence.

The murder of Thompson further demonstrated this shift. What began as widespread social media support for Mangione soon entered mainstream politics.

“Our data suggest that this is not simply about extremist fringe groups,” the study says. “These narratives are becoming popular on mainstream platforms in ways we have only previously seen on extremist platforms such as Gab or 4chan.”

The report reveals that support for the three types of political violence assessed – murdering Trump, murdering Musk, and destroying Tesla dealerships – was highly correlated. In other words, political violence isn’t random – it’s part of a “tightly interconnected belief system.”

“Central to this belief system is LWA, characterized by moral absolutism, punitive attitudes toward ideological opponents, and a willingness to use coercion for progressive aims,” the study says. Those scoring high on LWA metrics also had high measures of support for the assassination attempts on Trump, Mangione’s actions, and destroying Tesla dealerships.

“These results point to a structured ideological framework – what we term assassination culture – in which revolutionary action is valorized, particularly when directed at symbols of wealth, power, or conservative politics,” the NCRI study said.

“Unless political and cultural leadership explicitly confronts and condemns this trend, NCRI assesses a growing probability of real-world escalation,” the study continues. “Given the current economic volatility and institutional distrust, the online normalization of political violence may increasingly translate into offline action.”

NCRI’s findings suggest this shift isn’t some temporary spike in partisan anger, but rather a sustained attack on democratic norms. When 55 percent of any political group believes assassinating opponents is justified, democracy faces an existential threat. This is more than partisan division – it is a wholesale rejection of the principles this country was built upon.

Reversing this trend requires understanding its psychological underpinnings. The NCRI study identifies how these “permission structures” for violence develop gradually, suggesting intervention must target these early stages of normalization.

Social media platforms play a crucial role. When posts celebrating violence receive widespread support, it creates an environment where extreme actions seem acceptable. Addressing this digital ecosystem becomes essential for any meaningful change.

“Taken together, the findings underscore the erosion of democratic norms and the growing acceptability of political violence in American discourse, particularly among ideologically extreme communities online. Continued monitoring and broader measurement efforts are urgently needed,” the study says.

The question now is how the nation’s leaders can help restore what generations of Americans once took for granted – that ballots, not bullets, are how we settle our political differences. When more than half of any political group sees assassination as justified, the very foundations of our republic hang in the balance.

For a nation founded on the peaceful transfer of power, there may be no more urgent task than proving, once again, that democracy is stronger than the impulse to destroy it.

Sarah Katherine Sisk is a senior at Hillsdale College pursuing a degree in Economics and Journalism. You can follow her on X @SKSisk76.