Not random. Not rare. Political violence is becoming the byproduct of elite hypocrisy, weaponized outrage, and a collapsing civic order.

What to Know: 

• The shooting of President Trump in 2024 signaled a new level of political violence rooted in years of escalating rhetoric and unrest.
• Online extremism and partisan disinformation are now directly linked to real-world threats and attacks on public officials.
• Ray Dalio warns the U.S. has entered Stage 5 of societal decline, where polarization and institutional distrust threaten collapse.
• Liberal leadership in 2020 normalized civil unrest, creating a double standard that continues to fuel public outrage.
• Political violence, once considered a fringe issue, is now a recurring and strategic element of American civic life.

America hasn’t become numb to political violence. It’s become destabilized by it. From the shooting of President Trump in 2024 to the brutal killing of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband, these aren’t isolated tragedies. The nation is undergoing a transition, marked by ideological disorder disguised as progress rather than civil war.

Let’s be clear: the timeline didn’t begin with Trump’s debate comeback in June 2024 or his near-assassination that followed. It began in 2020, when liberal politicians greenlit mass riots across American cities under the banner of justice while locking down the rest of the country in fear of COVID. This contradiction broke something fundamental in the American psyche. Millions watched as elites justified violence when it suited their cause but shamed peaceful dissenters who dared question mandates or vote the wrong way.

Riot Police. Source: Igal Koshevoy. Creative Commons.

They called it activism. But it was the first real fracture. The American public has endured a period of hardship and contradictory information, leading to violent incidents such as firebombings, shootings, and an assassination attempt on a president. This is destabilization.

Ray Dalio Saw This Coming

Years ago, financial historian Ray Dalio cautioned that America was entering Stage 5 of his civilizational collapse model. This stage is characterized by political polarization, economic inequality, and a breakdown of trust in institutions. In his most recent briefings, Dalio identified the true problem: not ignorance, but political cowardice. 

Screenshot of Ray Dalio showing his new book on X

Elected officials privately admit the country is heading toward a crisis. But they publicly say nothing. Why? Because the system now punishes honesty and rewards performative extremism. In other words, American politics is no longer about solving problems. It signals purity to one's own group and punishes the other side simply for existing.

Dalio’s most sobering prediction? If trends continue, the U.S. is “uncomfortably” likely to slip into Stage 6: civil conflict. That doesn’t mean blue vs. red armies. It means years of sporadic attacks, domestic terrorism, leadership paralysis, and societal fragmentation.

And if we’re not already there, we’re inching closer with every news cycle.

The Liberal Media’s Role in Fueling the Fire

The mainstream media continues to provide cover for this descent. In the wake of the Trump shooting, liberal commentators were quicker to speculate about staged events than they were to condemn the shooter. Antisemitic violence surged on college campuses nationwide during the October Israel-Hamas conflict. This was fueled by left-wing disinformation campaigns that portrayed terrorist attacks as liberation movements.

Where were the calls for unity then?

Rather than extinguishing the flames, the liberal media and progressive influencers exacerbated them, fabricating false narratives, concealing crucial information, and demonizing those who disagreed. This is how a political ecosystem becomes radicalized. Not from a single manifesto or militia, but from the casual, everyday permission to dehumanize.

When violence erupts, as it did with the recent killing of Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, it's no longer shocking; it's anticipated. This expectation is the true peril.

Rhetorical Escalation on the Left Following Biden's Presidency

Following President Biden’s catastrophic 2024 debate performance, Democratic leaders didn’t respond with introspection. They lashed out. Panic-induced rhetoric from liberal operatives cast Trump as an existential threat to democracy, a fascist, and a dictator. It was no longer a campaign. It was a holy war.

Former President Biden lost at the debate. Source CBC News

In that climate, the line between protest and provocation vanished. The attempted assassination of Trump weeks later wasn’t a lone incident. It was the inevitable outcome of months of rhetorical detonation. When individuals are convinced that the opposing side's victory signifies the demise of democracy, violence transforms from a mere justification into an act of heroism.

Wrap Up

Political violence is entering a perilous new phase, characterized by intentionality rather than mere uncontrolled rage. This shift signifies more than just an increase in routine violence; it marks the dawn of a calculated and dangerous era. The shooting at the Trump rally, the Minnesota killings, the firebombings, and the assaults are not isolated incidents. They’re the predictable outcomes of years of unchecked extremism, liberal double standards, and a media ecosystem that fuels outrage while silencing dissent. 

What began as selective tolerance for “righteous” violence has spiraled into a climate where public officials are targeted, and political disagreement teeters on the edge of war. We are well past the point of denial. As Ray Dalio warned, the U.S. is deep into a cycle of internal decay, where polarization, mistrust, and institutional failure set the stage for collapse. 

The crucial question isn't about identifying the instigator of the most recent event but rather who will step up to avert the next. Because if we don’t confront the rhetoric, incentives, and cowardice that got us here, we’re heading for another tragedy. We’re heading for systemic breakdown.