On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk, an influential political commentator, was assassinated at Utah Valley University. His death sparked a renewal in the issue of political violence in the United States. What was meant as an opportunity for the nation to grieve together and unite during a time of tragedy turned into a wake-up call to the current state of political polarization in the United States.

Immediately after the shooting in Utah, many Americans began calling for greater unity among the major political parties and an end to the violence that had been engulfing America in recent years. However, data seem to show an alarming rise in Americans who believe that political violence is acceptable. Especially among those under 45, 23% of Americans surveyed responded that it is always or usually acceptable to be happy about the death of a political figure on the other side (Montgomery). More notable is that 34% of Americans who identify as liberal or very liberal seem to be accepting of feeling happy about the death of an opposing political figure, compared to 7% of Americans who identify as either conservative or very conservative (Montgomery). The wide gap between sentiments from liberals and conservatives can be attributed to a hyperpartisan political climate. Although the most recent poll was taken a day after the death of Charlie Kirk, the results remain similar to the results after the same poll was taken a day after the assassination of Melissa and Mark Hortman.

Another trend that rose significantly after the death of Charlie Kirk was the increasing divide between liberals and conservatives in their own respective reactions to his death. Although only 12% of Americans believed that Charlie Kirk's death was justified, that number increases to 32% when shifting the demographic to Democrats under 30 years of age (Fischman). This percentage marks one of the highest rates of people who believe political violence to be acceptable in modern times. Individual responses to Charlie Kirk's death have also been marked by a battle for free speech between Charlie Kirk supporters and critics. MSNBC political analyst Matthew Dowd was fired a day after remarking that, "...hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions…" (Gedeon). MSNBC cited that the reason for removal was less about free speech and more about the violation of professional journalistic standards. The removal of Jimmy Kimmel and other high-profile media personnel over personal comments on the Charlie Kirk tragedy has led to discussions regarding free speech. Democratic lawmakers, and some Republican lawmakers, have decried the Trump administration's actions against cracking down on alleged hate speech out of concern that the same treatment may occur to conservative commentators when liberal leaning officials are in charge. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has voiced his concerns, stating, "If the government gets in the business of saying: 'We don't like what you, the media, have said. We're going to ban you from the airwaves if you don't say what we like,' that will end up bad for conservatives" (Mason, Trevor).

In the midst of the mixed reactions to Mr. Kirk's death, the number of Americans who accept political violence is still an alarming percentage. Between Democrats and Republicans, both sides have pointed fingers at each other for the increase in political violence; however, experts attest that political violence and partisan leaning do not correlate with one another (Press). Instead, political violence appears to transcend the political spectrum. The more important task at hand is to focus on the broader political environment in America. Many experts also concur that the American political atmosphere must cool down to bring down the level of violence seen across political figures in America.

The death of Charlie Kirk was a wake-up call to most Americans. However, the data presented before Americans reveal a more disconcerting trend. Although the percentage of Americans who believe political violence is acceptable is astronomically lower than the percentage of Americans who believe it to be unacceptable, 11% to 72%, the rising percentage is a statistic many must watch out for. If Americans begin to believe that political violence is more and more acceptable, that begins to threaten the democratic ideals of this nation.