Violence targeting the US government has reached a 30-year high, according to a new analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The report identified 20 domestic attacks and plots in 2025, more than double the number recorded in 2024. For the first time in decades, attacks from the far Left matched those from the extreme Right, with ten incidents attributed to left-wing extremists and eight to right-wing extremists.
The surge in violence has been driven largely by attacks on immigration officers and facilities in response to the Trump administration's crackdown. The CSIS data, which covers incidents from 1994 onwards, shows a steady increase in political violence since the late 2010s, with 2025 eclipsing previous peaks. The analysis classifies attacks based on court documents and contemporaneous reporting.
Former President Donald Trump, who has been the target of multiple security incidents including an assassination attempt in 2024, commented on the rise in political violence, saying it had "always been there" but accusing the Democratic Party of stoking tensions with "dangerous" hate speech. The comments came after a shooting at a Washington dinner attended by Trump and senior officials.
The CSIS report notes that three people were killed in attacks from the extreme Right last year, while one died in an attack deemed extreme Left. Incidents of political violence dipped in 2021 when President Joe Biden took office but rose sharply thereafter. Lawmakers from both parties have condemned the trend, with former President Barack Obama urging the rejection of violence in democracy.
Former FBI agent Katherine Schweit, author of a book on mass shootings, described the current climate as reminiscent of the late 1960s and early 1970s, a period of political instability and high-profile assassinations. She warned that "political violence begets more political violence" and called for a return to peaceful discord as the foundation of democracy.
