Trump’s Incitement to Violence
The attacks, plots and threats carried out by people who took Trump at his word
By Erik Gauger · Updated October 10, 2026
In February 2016, Trump told a crowd in Iowa to “knock the crap out of” anyone who threw a tomato, and promised to pay their legal fees. It was a small moment, and it set the pattern for the decade that followed.
This page records what came after the words. Protesters beaten at rallies. A gunman in El Paso who wrote of a Hispanic “invasion” and killed 23 people. A car driven into a crowd in Charlottesville after Trump's “very fine people.” Pipe bombs mailed to his critics. A mob he summoned to Washington on January 6, 2021, which beat police officers and hunted his own vice president through the Capitol. Each entry pairs the violence with the words that preceded it, and states plainly whether the attacker named Trump, echoed him, or went after someone he had singled out.
On standards. This is not a partisan record: the same evidentiary rules apply whatever the politics of the victim or the perpetrator. Every entry links to court records, government data, published research or established news reporting, documented actions are kept apart from alleged motives, and recorded deaths apart from estimates. How this record is kept
The record, latest first
“Let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego”
October 5, 2026 · His words
Grand Island, Nebraska. At a campaign rally in Nebraska, talking about the war with Iran, the president of the United States told the crowd that Iran could take out Los Angeles and San Diego, and called it a small price for keeping the country safe. No president has ever offered up American cities to a foreign enemy. Governor Gavin Newsom called the remark deranged and dangerous. Mayor Karen Bass said a president's job is to protect the country, not threaten it. Even Jim Desmond, the Republican congressional nominee in San Diego, said no American family should be treated as collateral damage. The White House said Trump had only been describing what Iran could have done with a nuclear weapon.
Sources: FOX 11 Los Angeles; Reuters via BusinessDay; theGrio; FOX 35.
“He should be shot”: heckler at the GOP midterm convention
September 10, 2026 · At a Republican event
Dallas, Texas. At the Republican Party’s first-ever midterm convention, Senator Ted Cruz named New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, and Texas Senate candidate James Talarico. After each name, a voice in the crowd shouted, “He should be shot!” loud enough to carry on the live broadcast. Cruz did not stop or rebuke it, and his office later declined to say whether he had heard. The Council on American-Islamic Relations faulted Cruz for letting it stand.
Sources: CNN, “Shouts of ‘he should be shot’ heard during GOP midterm convention speech criticizing Democratic candidates”; The Detroit News, “Heckler at GOP convention says of Abdul El-Sayed: ‘He should be shot’”; Newsweek, “RNC Midterm Convention attendee heard saying Mamdani, El-Sayed, Talarico should ‘be shot’”.
Eight men indicted in a plotted drone and sniper attack on a UFC event
July 10, 2026 · Attacker's politics
Columbus, Ohio / Washington, DC. A federal grand jury indicted eight men on terrorism and murder-conspiracy charges for allegedly plotting a drone and sniper attack on UFC Freedom 250, held on the White House South Lawn on June 14, 2026. The alleged targets included President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Elon Musk. Investigators and family members described the defendants as emerging from ultra-religious, anti-government, conspiratorial online communities. Earlier, Thomas Matthew Crooks, a registered Republican, wounded Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania; the FBI has not identified a definitive motive and said he appeared to see the rally as a “target of opportunity.” Ryan Wesley Routh, a onetime Trump supporter, was charged in a second attempt.
Total Dead: 1 (Corey Comperatore, Butler rally, July 13, 2024)
Total Injured: 2 (David Dutch and James Copenhaver, Butler rally, July 13, 2024)
Sources: Gray News via KTTC; Cox Media Group, on the FBI’s Butler findings.
DOJ's $1.776 billion fund; pardoned January 6 defendants charged again
May 18, 2026 · His pardons
Washington, DC. The Justice Department announced a $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" that could compensate people who claimed they were harmed by federal investigations and prosecutions, including Trump supporters prosecuted for their roles in the January 6 Capitol riot. Trump had already granted pardons and clemency to approximately 1,500 January 6 defendants. Watchdog groups have since documented dozens of pardoned January 6 defendants facing new criminal charges. In May 2026, pardoned rioter Zachary Alam was sentenced to seven years in prison following a Virginia burglary conviction.
Documented aftermath: Dozens of pardoned January 6 defendants have faced new criminal charges.
Man sprays liquid at Rep. Ilhan Omar during a town hall
January 27, 2026 · Target he attacked by name
Minneapolis, Minnesota. Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, rushed the stage at U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar's town hall and sprayed a liquid at her from a syringe-like device. The liquid was apple cider vinegar and water, and Omar was not physically injured. Omar said the man was angry that Trump's deportations of Somalis were not proceeding fast enough. The attack followed nearly seven years of Trump singling out Omar by name, including calling her "garbage" in December 2025. Afterward, Trump suggested Omar "probably had herself sprayed." Kazmierczak pleaded guilty in May 2026 to a federal charge of assaulting a United States officer.
Sources: Associated Press via WTOP.
Rep. Maxwell Frost assaulted at a Sundance event
January 23, 2026 · Attacker echoed his language
Park City, Utah. At a Sundance Film Festival event, Christian Joel Young, 28, forced his way into a private party, told U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost "we are going to deport you and your kind," yelled a racial slur, and punched him in the face. He also assaulted a woman, telling her, "You are the kind we are going to deport." Young was charged with aggravated burglary, assaulting an elected official, and assault. His language mirrored Trump's promotion of the idea that political opponents should be deported, jailed, or removed from public life.
Total Assaulted: 2 (Rep. Frost and a second attendee)
Sources: PBS NewsHour; Axios.
Gunman rams and fires on an LDS meetinghouse
September 28, 2025 · Attacker's politics
Grand Blanc Township, Michigan. A gunman who had displayed Trump campaign signs at his home and expressed virulent anti-Mormon views drove his truck into a Latter-day Saints meetinghouse, opened fire, and set it ablaze. Four worshippers were killed and eight injured before police shot him. Investigators described a motive rooted in hatred of the LDS church, and no evidence has emerged that Trump or his rhetoric inspired the attack; the attack came amid a broader climate of politicized religious hostility.
Total Dead: 4
Total Injured: 8
Sources: Associated Press via ABC7; The Christian Post.
Melissa and Mark Hortman assassinated; John and Yvette Hoffman shot
June 14, 2025 · Attacker's politics
Brooklyn Park and Champlin, Minnesota. Democratic state legislator Melissa Hortman, former Speaker of the Minnesota House, and her husband, Mark Hortman, were assassinated in their home. Democratic state senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, were shot multiple times and survived. Authorities alleged the gunman deliberately targeted Democratic elected officials and kept lists of politicians and perceived political opponents. The attacks followed years of Trump calling Democrats "the enemy from within." No evidence has emerged that Trump directed or coordinated the attacks.
Total Dead: 2
Total Injured: 2
Sources: FOX 9, full list of charges; Bloomberg Government.
Trump says Liz Cheney should face rifles
October 31, 2024 · His words
Glendale, Arizona. During an on-stage interview with Tucker Carlson, Trump called Liz Cheney "a radical war hawk" and said, "Let's put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her." The remark followed months of violent talk about political enemies. Arizona's attorney general opened a review of whether the remark violated state law, and closed it two weeks later without charges.
Sources: Rolling Stone; Reuters via StreetInsider; Cowboy State Daily, on the closed review.
Trump calls January 6 “a day of love”
October 16, 2024 · His words
Televised town hall. Trump described the January 6 insurrection as "a day of love" and "a historic, beautiful moment." The phrase recast an attack in which some 140 police officers were injured.
Sources: CBS News.
“The enemy from within”: Trump floats using the National Guard
October 15, 2024 · His words
Fox News town hall. Trump called his political opponents "the enemy from within" and said the National Guard, or the military if necessary, should handle them.
Sources: PBS NewsHour.
Trump says the military could handle domestic enemies
October 13, 2024 · His words
Fox News interview. Trump said domestic enemies could be handled "by the military if necessary."
Sources: CNN via KTVZ.
“One really violent day” would end crime
September 29, 2024 · His words
Pennsylvania rally. Trump told the crowd that "one really violent day" could end all crime if police were unrestrained. Civil-rights groups condemned the remark as a call for state-sanctioned violence against civilians.
Sources: Philadelphia Inquirer.
Removing migrants “will be a bloody story”
September 7, 2024 · His words
Wisconsin rally. Trump warned that removing migrants "will be a bloody story," explicitly invoking violence to describe deportations.
Sources: Mediaite, with video.
Trump says revenge is sometimes necessary
June 6, 2024 · His words
Television interview. Trump told Dr. Phil that "revenge can take time, but sometimes it's necessary," defending political retribution.
Sources: Axios; Deseret News.
Trump warns of a “bloodbath” if he loses
March 16, 2024 · His words
Ohio rally. Trump said, "If I lose this election, it'll be a bloodbath for the country." His campaign later claimed he meant the auto industry, but the phrasing was received by followers as a threat of civil violence if he lost power.
Sources: NBC News.
Trump vows to free January 6 defendants
March 11, 2024 · His words
Online post. Trump vowed to "free the January 6 hostages" and pardon them, equating violent insurrectionists with political prisoners.
Sources: NBC News.
Trump warns of “bedlam” if prosecuted
January 9, 2024 · His words
Washington, DC. After a court hearing on his criminal immunity claims, Trump warned of "bedlam" and "the opening of a Pandora's box" if he were prosecuted.
Sources: AFP via Malay Mail.
Immigrants are “poisoning the blood” of the country
December 16, 2023 · His words
New Hampshire rally. Trump said immigrants were "poisoning the blood of our country." The remark echoed fascist-era racial purity rhetoric.
Sources: NBC News, Meet the Press.
A dictator “on day one”
December 5, 2023 · His words
Iowa town hall. Trump said he would be a dictator only on "day one," explaining: "We're closing the border, and we're drilling, drilling, drilling." His supporters cheered. The comment normalized autocratic power as necessary to restore order, language long tied to his framing of dissent as treason.
Sources: CNBC; PolitiFact.
Trump calls his opponents “vermin”
November 11, 2023 · His words
Veterans Day remarks. Trump vowed to "root out the Communists, Marxists, fascists, and radical-left thugs that live like vermin within our country." The use of "vermin" drew condemnation for echoing genocidal propaganda.
Sources: Boston Globe; NHPR.
Trump says shoplifters should expect to be shot
September 29, 2023 · His words
California Republican Party convention. Trump told donors that store robbers should "expect to be shot as they leave." Civil-rights groups condemned the remark as an open endorsement of extrajudicial violence against suspects.
Sources: Associated Press via TheGrio.
Trump suggests Gen. Milley deserved death
September 22, 2023 · His words
Online post. Trump suggested that in the past, "the punishment" for General Mark Milley's behavior "would have been death." Milley said afterward that he was taking steps to ensure his family's safety.
Sources: Military Times; CNBC.
“If you go after me, I'm coming after you”
August 4, 2023 · His words
Truth Social post. Trump wrote, "If you go after me, I'm coming after you!" The next day, prosecutors cited the post when they asked the judge in his federal election case for a protective order.
Sources: Associated Press via News4Jax.
“Our enemies are desperate to stop us”
April 27, 2023 · His words
New Hampshire rally. At a rally in Manchester two days after President Biden announced his re-election campaign, Trump told supporters, "As the endless witch hunts and persecutions reveal, our enemies are desperate to stop us because they know we are the only ones who can stop them." He called the Washington Post "the enemy of the people," said "the Marxist left is coming after us using the criminal justice system," and promised to direct the Justice Department to "investigate every radical district attorney and attorney general in America." His phrasing directly paralleled the language he used before the January 6 attack.
Sources: Rev, rally transcript; Connecticut Public / NHPR.
“2024 is the final battle,” at Waco
March 25, 2023 · His words
Waco, Texas rally. Trump opened his speech with a patriotic song performed by incarcerated January 6 defendants, then declared, "2024 is the final battle." The rally fell during the 30th anniversary of the 1993 federal siege at Waco, long mythologized by militias; critics read the timing as a signal, which his campaign denied.
Sources: PBS NewsHour.
Trump warns of “death and destruction” if charged
March 24, 2023 · His words
Online post. Trump warned of "death and destruction" if he were charged in Manhattan. In the days that followed, the Manhattan district attorney's office received a threatening letter containing white powder, and threats against the prosecutor and the courthouse spiked.
“I am your retribution”
March 4, 2023 · His words
CPAC speech. Trump told the audience, "I am your retribution." The phrase became a rallying cry among his base, appearing on shirts, banners, and in extremist online spaces. It framed violence and vengeance as patriotic duties.
Sources: Scripps News.
Paul Pelosi attacked with a hammer in his home
October 28, 2022 · Target he attacked by name
San Francisco, California. A conspiracy-driven intruder radicalized by pro-Trump propaganda about Democratic leaders broke into the Pelosi home and struck Paul Pelosi with a hammer, fracturing his skull. Trump had spent years branding Nancy Pelosi an enemy and amplifying narratives that cast Democratic officials as existential threats; the attacker echoed those themes when explaining his target.
Total Injured: 1
Sources: San Francisco Standard; ABC7.
Armed man tries to breach the FBI field office
August 11–12, 2022 · Attacker invoked Trump
Cincinnati, Ohio. Days after Trump denounced the FBI over the Mar-a-Lago search and cast investigators as corrupt enemies, a Trump-aligned man armed with an AR-style rifle tried to breach the FBI's field office, fled, and was killed in a standoff. His online posts praised Trump and urged violent resistance to federal law enforcement, reflecting Trump's escalated anti-FBI rhetoric.
Sources: CNN via KVIA; TheWrap.
Trump warns of consequences and calls prosecutors monsters
August 2022 · His words
United States. As investigations advanced, Trump warned that terrible things would happen unless the temperature was brought down and repeatedly portrayed prosecutors and agents as monsters.
Sources: Axios.
Trump hails January 6 defendants as patriots and hostages
Spring–Summer 2022 · His words
United States. Trump began publicly praising January 6 defendants as patriots and hostages, urging their release and promising pardons.
Sources: NPR.
The January 6 attack on the Capitol
January 6, 2021 · Acting on his call
Washington, DC. On January 6, 2021, violence incited by Donald Trump left five people dead within roughly 36 hours, and between 140 and 174 police officers injured...one of the worst assaults on American democracy in modern history.
The attack on the U.S. Capitol was the culmination of months of lies, rage, and direct instruction from a sitting president. Trump gathered his supporters near the Ellipse, repeated his false claim that the election had been stolen, and told them to "fight like hell or you won't have a country anymore." When he directed the crowd toward the Capitol, his words acted as a spark to the powder keg he had built. The mob—composed of his followers, including Proud Boys and Oath Keepers leaders—stormed through barricades, overwhelmed police, shattered windows, and halted the constitutional certification of the 2020 election.
Total Dead: 5
Total Injured: 140–174 officers (law enforcement)
As the Capitol fell under siege, Trump poured gasoline on the flames. At 2:24 p.m., as Vice President Mike Pence was being evacuated, Trump tweeted that Pence "didn't have the courage to do what should have been done," a message that instantly reverberated through the mob. Rioters began chanting, "Hang Mike Pence," constructing a gallows outside the building.
Later that day, Trump released a short video telling the attackers to "go home," but even then, he framed their violence as righteous, ending the video with: "We love you. You're very special." These words validated the crowd and deepened the animating grievance that defined the day...the belief that their violence was in service to the president himself. Many rioters later cited Trump's words as justification for their actions in court.
Among the dead were Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt, shot while trying to breach the Speaker's Lobby; Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who collapsed after being assaulted and later died of strokes linked to the confrontation; and three others who died amid the chaos from medical emergencies triggered by the riot. In the weeks following, four officers who defended the Capitol—Howard Liebengood, Jeffrey Smith, Kyle DeFreytag, and Gunther Hashida—died by suicide, deaths their families and colleagues have directly tied to the trauma of that day. Hundreds more officers carry permanent physical and psychological injuries.
Journalists also became targets of the violence Trump had spent years encouraging. For months he had labeled the press "the enemy of the people" and goaded his crowds to jeer, eject, and attack reporters. On January 6, that rhetoric turned lethal: journalists covering the insurrection were chased, beaten, and had their cameras smashed. A mob tore down a media platform and scrawled "Murder the Media" across a door at the Capitol.
The insurrection was the physical manifestation of Trump's words...the direct outcome of a leader who wielded disinformation, grievance, and rage as political tools. Every death, every injury, and every broken barrier at the Capitol traces back to the moment he told his followers to fight for him.
Sources: FactCheck.org, on the death toll; Boston.com, the people who died.
Election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss threatened
January–December 2021 · Target he attacked by name
United States. Following months of Stop the Steal agitation led by Trump, election workers across the country faced a sustained wave of threats and harassment. In Georgia, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss were targeted after Trump and allies falsely accused them of ballot fraud; both were forced from their homes and into hiding as pro-Trump supporters flooded them with racist threats and doxxing.
Sources: Boston Globe; ABC News.
Million MAGA March brawls
December 12, 2020 · Acting on his call
Washington, DC. Trump's call for supporters to "stop the steal" culminated in the second Million MAGA March, which devolved into street brawls. Proud Boys and other Trump supporters fought with counter-protesters; four people were stabbed, and Black Lives Matter banners were torn from two historic Black churches and burned.
Total Injured: 4
Sources: Associated Press via KSAT; Boston Globe.
Armed supporters gather at the Maricopa County count
November 4–7, 2020 · Acting on his call
Phoenix, Arizona. After Trump alleged a stolen election, armed supporters gathered outside the Maricopa County counting center chanting "stop the steal." His claims that "Democrats were finding ballots" inspired intimidation of election workers and reporters until police secured the area.
Sources: CBS News.
Mob surrounds the TCF Center vote count
November 4, 2020 · Acting on his call
Detroit, Michigan. Trump's baseless fraud accusations triggered a mob of his supporters to surround the TCF Center shouting "stop the count" and banging on glass doors. Officials halted counting for safety. Trump's disinformation about urban vote theft directly spurred the confrontation.
Sources: Bridge Michigan; Michigan Advance.
Militia plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
October 8, 2020 · Target he attacked by name
Michigan. The FBI announced charges against members of a militia group accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer from her vacation home, transport her to another location, and place her on what conspirators described as a "trial." Prosecutors alleged that some participants discussed killing law-enforcement officers, detonating explosives, and using violence to spark a broader uprising against government authority.
The plot emerged after months of escalating tensions surrounding COVID-19 restrictions. Throughout the spring and summer of 2020, President Trump repeatedly criticized Whitmer by name and publicly encouraged opposition to state lockdown measures. On April 17, 2020, Trump posted the message "LIBERATE MICHIGAN!" on social media, a slogan that quickly became a rallying cry for anti-lockdown activists and armed militia groups protesting Whitmer's public-health orders.
Two weeks later, on April 30, armed demonstrators entered the Michigan Capitol while legislators were in session. Protesters carrying rifles and wearing tactical gear confronted lawmakers and law-enforcement officers inside the building, creating one of the most striking images of political unrest during the pandemic.
Trump continued to single out Whitmer throughout 2020, often referring to her as "that woman from Michigan" while criticizing her administration's response to COVID-19. At campaign events, crowds frequently responded with chants of "Lock her up!" when Whitmer's name was mentioned, echoing chants previously directed at Hillary Clinton.
Following the FBI's announcement of the kidnapping conspiracy, Whitmer argued that political rhetoric had contributed to an increasingly dangerous environment. Trump rejected that criticism, attacked Whitmer's leadership again on social media, and suggested she should thank the federal government for disrupting the plot rather than criticizing him.
The kidnapping conspiracy ultimately resulted in multiple federal and state convictions. Prosecutors successfully demonstrated that key participants conducted surveillance of Whitmer's home, trained with weapons, discussed abducting the governor, and took substantial steps toward carrying out the plan before it was disrupted by law enforcement.
The plotters surveilled a sitting governor's home and trained with rifles. For months before that, the President of the United States had told the country, by name, who the enemy was.
Total Injured: 0 (kidnapping plot disrupted before execution; multiple convictions obtained)
Sources: Associated Press via MPR News.
“Stand back and stand by”
September 29, 2020 · His words
National television debate. Trump refused to clearly condemn white supremacists and told the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by." Within hours, Proud Boys online channels adopted the phrase as a slogan, using it to recruit for violent pro-Trump actions culminating in the January 6 insurrection.
Sources: NBC News.
Trump praises the killing of a protest-shooting suspect
September 12, 2020 · His words
Fox News interview. Trump praised the killing of Michael Reinoehl, the suspect in a fatal protest shooting in Portland, by a U.S. Marshals-led task force, saying "that's the way it has to be" and "there has to be retribution." His comment validated extrajudicial killing and signaled approval of lethal force against perceived enemies.
Sources: Rolling Stone; Mediaite, with video.
“When the looting starts, the shooting starts”
May 29, 2020 · His words
Online. During nationwide protests after George Floyd's murder, Trump tweeted "when the looting starts, the shooting starts."
Within days, police escalations produced widely documented injuries: in Minneapolis, freelance photojournalist Linda Tirado was permanently blinded in one eye by a projectile on May 29; press monitors logged scores of police attacks on journalists; and in New York City's Mott Haven on June 4, Human Rights Watch documented at least 61 injured during a planned kettling operation. Together these early incidents illustrate how Trump's threat framed force as permissible, priming agencies for harsher crackdowns nationwide.
Injured: hundreds nationwide in the first week, by local police; not counted in the totals.
Sources: ABC7 New York; U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, Linda Tirado; Human Rights Watch, Mott Haven.
“LIBERATE MICHIGAN”: armed protesters enter the Capitol
April 30, 2020 · Acting on his call
Lansing, Michigan. Trump tweeted "LIBERATE MICHIGAN" amid pandemic restrictions, encouraging defiance of state lockdowns. Days later, armed protesters entered the state Capitol, menacing lawmakers. Trump praised them as "very good people," legitimizing the threat. Months afterward, militia members were charged with plotting to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Sources: Associated Press via NBC Chicago; Global News.
“Chinese virus” and the surge in anti-Asian attacks
March 2020 onward · Attacker echoed his language
United States. Trump repeatedly referred to COVID-19 as the "Chinese virus" and "Kung Flu," language that coincided with and fueled a nationwide surge in anti-Asian hate crimes. Federal, local, and academic data all show sharp increases in harassment and violence beginning immediately after his remarks. Studies from the University of California and the National Bureau of Economic Research found that anti-Asian hashtags and hate incidents spiked following Trump's statements.
Stop AAPI Hate recorded 10,905 incidents between March 19, 2020 and the end of 2021, including approximately 1,767 physical assaults. Attackers across the country echoed Trump's language: calling victims "Chinese virus" or "Kung Flu" as they punched, kicked, and stabbed them. In one DOJ case, a Texas man stabbed an Asian family, later admitting he believed they were responsible for spreading the virus.
The period also saw at least one legally recognized anti-Asian hate-crime homicide: New York City street vendor Yao Pan Ma, beaten in 2021 and later dying of his injuries—as well as eight widely linked deaths in the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings, which targeted Asian women. In cities like New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, hate-crime reports against Asians rose by more than 100 percent year-over-year, with victims often citing Trump's terminology during police interviews .
Deaths: At least 1 legally adjudicated hate-crime death (Yao Pan Ma); up to 9 widely linked (including Atlanta spa shootings).
Injuries: Estimated ≈ 1,700–1,800 nationwide (physical assaults documented by Stop AAPI Hate).
Sources: UCSF, on the American Journal of Public Health study; Stop AAPI Hate national report.
El Paso Walmart massacre and the “invasion” manifesto
August 3, 2019 · Attacker echoed his language
El Paso, Texas. A white supremacist gunman killed 23 and wounded 22 in a Walmart, publishing a manifesto that mimicked Trump's rhetoric about "invasion" at the border. Victims were targeted for being Latino. The attacker was identified as Patrick Crusius, a 21-year-old from Allen, Texas, who drove more than 600 miles to El Paso to carry out the mass shooting.
Just before opening fire, Crusius posted a four-page screed online titled "The Inconvenient Truth," claiming his actions were "a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas." His phrasing matched Trump's repeated warnings of an "invasion" from the southern border, rhetoric the president used dozens of times in campaign speeches and tweets.
The manifesto itself claimed its author's anti-immigrant views predated Trump, while predicting that the attack would be linked to the president's rhetoric. The overlap is in the language. His manifesto expressed support for Trump's immigration agenda and echoed the president's language about protecting the nation's "culture" and "heritage."
Analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that Trump's use of invasion imagery had sharply increased in the months before the attack, and that the El Paso shooting demonstrated how political language portraying immigrants as invaders can normalize racist violence. The massacre remains one of the deadliest hate crimes against Latinos in U.S. history and a defining example of Trump-inspired domestic terrorism.
Total Dead: 23
Total Injured: 22
Sources: Texas Tribune; Associated Press via KSAT, on the manifesto.
Supporter assaults a BBC cameraman at a rally
February 11, 2019 · At a Trump rally
El Paso, Texas. A Trump supporter rushed the press pen and assaulted BBC cameraman Ron Skeans on the risers during a campaign rally. Trump had spent months branding reporters the enemy of the people and pointing at press pens while crowds booed, normalizing harassment and making violence against journalists feel permissible.
Total Injured: 1
Sources: U.S. Press Freedom Tracker; Fortune.
Pipe bombs mailed to Trump critics
October 24, 2018 · Target he attacked by name
United States. A series of improvised explosive devices was mailed to prominent critics of Donald Trump, including CNN, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, George Soros, and several Democratic lawmakers. The targets closely mirrored individuals Trump had repeatedly attacked by name at rallies and on social media, where he labeled the press "the enemy of the people" and accused political opponents of treason, corruption, and existential threat. The bombing campaign emerged during a period of sustained Trump rhetoric portraying these figures as enemies who needed to be "stopped," framing political opposition as illegitimate and dangerous.
The suspect, Cesar Sayoc Jr., was a vocal Trump supporter who covered his vehicle with pro-Trump imagery and anti-media slogans echoing Trump's language. Federal investigators and court records showed that Sayoc selected his targets based on political grievance and consumed extensive Trump-aligned media.
While Trump publicly condemned the bombs after their discovery, he did not retract the rhetoric that had defined the victims as enemies, nor did he acknowledge the role that sustained demonization played in motivating the attack. With Sayoc, the violence graduated: from fists at rallies to a mail-bomb campaign against a list of names. The list was Trump's.
Estimated Injured: 0, multiple attempted acts of lethal violence
Sources: NBC News.
Charlottesville: “Unite the Right” and the fatal car attack
August 12, 2017 · Attacker's politics
Charlottesville, Virginia. Trump's response to the "Unite the Right" rally...saying there were "very fine people on both sides"...emboldened violent white nationalists. During the rally, a neo-Nazi drove into counter-protesters, killing one and injuring dozens. Trump's equivocation gave the movement renewed legitimacy.
The attacker was James Alex Fields Jr., a 20-year-old white supremacist from Ohio who had driven his gray Dodge Challenger into a crowd of peaceful demonstrators protesting the rally. The car struck dozens of people, killing Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old paralegal and civil rights activist, and injuring 35 others. Witnesses described the moment as a deliberate act of terror aimed at silencing those who opposed the marchers' racist ideology.
At the rally, former Klan leader David Duke told reporters that the marchers were there to “fulfill the promises of Donald Trump.” Marchers carried torches, chanted "Jews will not replace us," and wore red "Make America Great Again" hats as symbols of allegiance.
Trump's refusal to condemn the attackers outright, and his statement equating anti-racist demonstrators with violent extremists, was widely seen as granting moral cover to white nationalist groups. Charlottesville became a hinge point for the modern extremist movement, with many participants later citing Trump's rhetoric as inspiration for their continued radicalization and subsequent acts of violence across the country.
Total Dead: 1
Total Injured: 35
Sources: CNN; Mediaite, David Duke on video.
Jeremy Christian stabs three men defending two teenagers
May 26, 2017 · Attacker invoked Trump
Portland, Oregon. Jeremy Christian, an extremist with erratic politics who attended right-wing rallies and posted anti-Muslim rants that included praise of Trump, stabbed three men who intervened as he harassed two teenage girls of color, one wearing a hijab. Two victims died and one was critically injured. Christian shouted about free speech as police arrested him.
Total Dead: 2
Total Injured: 1
Sources: Associated Press via Anchorage Daily News; KGW.
Pro-Trump demonstrator punches an OC Weekly journalist
March 25, 2017 · At a pro-Trump rally
Huntington Beach, California. OC Weekly journalist Frank Tristan was punched by a pro-Trump demonstrator at a Make America Great Again rally. Trump's rally habit of calling out and ridiculing the press created an atmosphere where attacking journalists was portrayed as defending the movement.
Total Injured: 1
Sources: U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
RNC speech casts immigrants as criminals
July 2016 · His words
Cleveland, Ohio. Trump's Republican National Convention speech called for "law and order" and depicted immigrants as criminals.
Sources: Roll Call, speech transcript.
Chicago rally canceled amid violent clashes
March 11, 2016 · At a Trump rally
Chicago, Illinois. A Trump rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago was canceled due to violent clashes inside and outside the venue. Trump's speeches had for weeks stoked anger against immigrants and Black activists, and the chaotic scenes previewed the political violence that would define his presidency.
Sources: NPR via KPBS.
Supporter punches a Black protester at a rally
March 9, 2016 · At a Trump rally
Fayetteville, North Carolina. During a Donald Trump campaign rally, a Trump supporter punched a Black protester in the face as he was being escorted out by security. The assault occurred amid Trump's repeated onstage rhetoric encouraging supporters to remove protesters and praising past eras when dissenters were "carried out on stretchers."
After the punch, Trump said the attacker "got carried away" and that "maybe he doesn't like seeing what's happening to the country," and said he had "instructed my people to look into" paying the man's legal fees. The man who threw the punch later told reporters, "Next time, we might have to kill him," underscoring how Trump's language at rallies had already normalized physical violence and lethal intent as acceptable responses to political opposition.
Total Injured: 1
Sources: CBS News; PBS NewsHour.
Crowd assaults three protesters as Trump orders them out
March 1, 2016 · At a Trump rally
Louisville, Kentucky. At the Kentucky International Convention Center, Trump repeatedly told the crowd to "get 'em out of here" as protesters were identified. Audience members then assaulted three protesters: Kashiya Nwanguma (shoved through the crowd), Molly Shah (shoved and jostled), and Henry Brousseau (punched in the stomach).
A civil lawsuit—Nwanguma v. Trump—named Trump and rally attendees including white nationalist Matthew Heimbach and Alvin Bamberger, and a federal judge initially found it plausible that Trump's directives incited the crowd's use of force. The Sixth Circuit recounted that audience members "assaulted, pushed and shoved" the plaintiffs as Trump issued the commands, though the appeals court ultimately dismissed the incitement claim in 2018, ruling that Trump's words were protected speech. The assaults themselves were never in dispute.
Injuries: At least 3 (Kashiya Nwanguma, Molly Shah, Henry Brousseau).
Sources: ABA Journal, on the Sixth Circuit ruling; WKMS.
“I'd like to punch him in the face”
February 22, 2016 · At a Trump rally
Las Vegas, Nevada. At a campaign rally at South Point Arena, Trump pointed to a protester being escorted out and told the crowd, "I'd like to punch him in the face." Supporters cheered.
Within weeks, protesters were punched and shoved at his rallies in Fayetteville, St. Louis and Tucson.
Injuries: none documented at this rally, within a broader pattern of 30–40 injuries at Trump rallies between Nov 2015 and Mar 2016.
“Knock the crap out of them”
February 1, 2016 · His words
Iowa. Trump told his crowd to "knock the crap out of" anyone preparing to throw tomatoes, promising to pay their legal fees. The comment was widely covered and replayed in later incidents where his followers attacked protesters.
Sources: Time; PolitiFact.
Trump offers to pay attackers' legal fees
February 2016 · At a Trump rally
United States. As violence at his rallies increased, Donald Trump moved from encouraging the physical removal of protesters to openly justifying and rewarding it. After multiple assaults at campaign events, Trump told reporters that protesters "deserved it" and portrayed those who were struck as instigators who invited violence. At a rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Trump escalated further, telling supporters, "If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you?" He added, "I promise you I will pay for the legal fees," explicitly offering protection to supporters who used force.
By February there was no ambiguity left: the candidate was endorsing the violence and offering to pay for it. Confrontations at his rallies grew more frequent and more severe, and Trump kept defending the attackers and blaming the victims.
Estimated Injured: 5–10 protesters assaulted at Trump rallies.
Sources: Time; Slate, list of violent incidents at Trump events.
Gunman attacks a Muslim-owned tire shop
December 24, 2015 · Attack followed his words
Dallas, Texas. A gunman, Anthony Paz Torres, attacked Omar's Wheels and Tires, a Muslim-owned business, killing one person and attempting to kill four others after asking customers whether they were Muslim; he later pleaded guilty to five federal hate crimes. The attack came just weeks after Trump's December 7 call for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States," and reflected a surge in hate crimes targeting Muslims and perceived Muslims that began after Trump's campaign launch in mid-2015.
According to FBI data, anti-Muslim hate crimes rose by roughly 67% from 2014 to 2015—the year Trump entered the race—and assaults against Muslims in 2016 reached levels not seen since the aftermath of 9/11. Civil-rights groups documented dozens of violent assaults, arsons, and murders in which perpetrators cited Trump's language or policies as justification.
Total Dead: 1 (Enrique Garcia Mendoza).
Additional Deaths Nationwide: ≈8 linked to anti-Muslim hate violence (2015–2017).
Estimated Injuries: Over 200 assaults causing injury nationwide during the same period.
Sources: U.S. Department of Justice; Axios Dallas.
Supporters beat activist Mercutio Southall Jr.
November 21, 2015 · At a Trump rally
Birmingham, Alabama. During a Trump rally, local activist Mercutio Southall Jr. was punched, kicked, and choked by Trump supporters as security moved to remove him. Trump had just ordered the crowd to remove the protester and later told Fox News that Southall "should have been roughed up." The incident became an early, on-camera example of Trump's rhetoric cueing immediate violence against a named target.
Injuries: 1 (Mercutio Southall Jr.).
Sources: The New Republic; WTKR.
Assaults recur at Trump rallies
November 2015–March 2016 · At a Trump rally
United States. During his first presidential campaign, Trump's rallies became recurring scenes of physical violence. From the moment he told crowds to "knock the crap out of" protesters and promised to pay legal fees, assaults began erupting in arenas and fairgrounds across the country. His rallies in Birmingham, Alabama (November 21 2015); St. Louis, Missouri (March 11 2016); Chicago, Illinois (March 11 2016, canceled amid clashes); Dayton, Ohio (March 12 2016); and Tucson, Arizona (March 19 2016) all featured assaults and arrests .
At least a dozen individual victims were injured inside or just outside venues—punched, kicked, dragged, or pepper-sprayed by Trump supporters while security stood by. In Fayetteville, North Carolina, a white Trump supporter punched a Black protester in the face while the candidate onstage said, "Get them out."
In St. Louis, roughly three dozen people were arrested amid clashes and several protesters were left bloodied. In Tucson, a rally attendee repeatedly punched and stomped a protester as security escorted the victim out. Civil-rights monitors from the SPLC and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights reported at least 30–40 protester injuries and over 20 arrests for assault or disorderly conduct during this five-month stretch, almost all tied to Trump's live calls for violence.
The aggression at these events, cheered and sometimes bankrolled by the candidate, was the January 6 mob in embryo.
Injuries: Estimated 30–40 protesters and journalists assaulted or injured at Trump rallies (Nov 2015–Mar 2016), per SPLC , police reports, and press accounts from that time.
Sources: Slate, list of violent incidents at Trump events; Snopes.
“Get 'em out”
September 2015 · At a Trump rally
United States. From the opening months of his 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly encouraged physical removal of protesters at his rallies, creating an atmosphere in which violence by supporters was normalized and rewarded. At multiple events in September 2015, Trump singled out protesters from the stage and told crowds to "get 'em out of here," while offering performative caveats such as "don't hurt 'em."
Video from these rallies shows protesters being forcibly ejected by multiple attendees acting in response to Trump's cues.
When questioned afterward about the assaults, Trump declined to condemn the violence and instead portrayed protesters as agitators who invited physical consequences. Supporters learned early that roughing up a protester would be excused, sometimes praised. Confrontations followed all fall and into the primary season, the earliest documented pattern on this page.
Estimated Injured: Approximately 3–5 protesters physically assaulted during September 2015 rallies, based on contemporaneous video evidence and press reporting, with the true number likely higher due to underreporting.
Sources: Snopes; PolitiFact.
The campaign launch: Mexico “sending rapists”
June 16, 2015 · His words
New York, New York. At his campaign launch, Trump said Mexico was sending rapists and criminals. In the months that followed, Latinos were assaulted by attackers who echoed his phrases. In Boston that August, two brothers beat a homeless Mexican man with a metal pole and told police, "Trump was right." The speech established the central theme of his politics—criminalizing minorities and legitimizing vigilante violence.
Sources: WBUR; CBS Boston.
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