The left’s legacy of political violence: Top left-wing attacks of the decade

In the wake of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump on Saturday, the White House has blamed a culture of political extremism and a “left wing cult of hatred” for driving its adherents to acts of violence.”The left-wing cult of hatred against the president and all of those who support him and work for him has gotten multiple people hurt and killed and it almost did so again this weekend,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday.
The line of rhetoric blaming Democrats and their proponents for fanning the flames of violent extremism echoes similar comments the Trump campaign made after the two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump in 2024. Moreover, it follows a string of other high profile acts of political violence in recent years from the left.
Here’s a look at some of the major incidents of left-wing political attacks in recent years.
2017 Congressional Baseball Game Shooting
In June of 2017, left-wing activist James Hodgkinson opened fire during practice for the congressional baseball game after asking lawmakers who had left the stadium if the people practicing were Republicans. Now-House Majority Leader Steve Scalise was seriously wounded in the incident.
Though the FBI initially labeled the incident “suicide by cop,” FBI Director Kash Patel in 2025 released information confirming that the gunmen had targeted Republicans.
2022 Assassination Attempt on Brett Kavanaugh
After the leak of the Dobbs v. Jackson draft decision that ultimately overturned the constitutional right to an abortion, conservative Supreme Court justices faced protests at their private homes.
In 2025, Nicholas John Roske received an 8-year prison sentence for his attempted assassination of Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, to which he pleaded guilty. Roske was arrested outside Kavanaugh’s residence.
2024 Luigi Mangione’s alleged assassination of Brian Thompson
In December 2024, Luigi Mangione allegedly assassinated United HealthCare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione is awaiting trial and has not been convicted as of press time. His motivation for the attack was allegedly frustration with the national private healthcare industry.
2024 Butler rally
During the 2024 presidential campaign, President Donald Trump was shot during a rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13. He sustained a gunshot wound to the ear and was escorted off the stage.
The gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed in the incident. 
2024 Florida golf course
In September 2024, Secret Service exchanged fire at a Palm Beach golf course with Ryan Routh, who had lain in wait for Trump, who was golfing with now-special envoy Steve Witkoff at the time. 
Routh received a life sentence in February 2026.
2025 Antifa shootings at ICE facility
In 2025, an Antifa cell organized an attack on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Texas, the incident saw a local police officer sustain a gunshot wound to the neck, though he survived.
A federal jury convicted nine members of the cell in March of this year.
2025 Assassination of Charlie Kirk
Possibly the most high-profile, successful political assassination of the decade was that of Charlie Kirk, who was killed in September 2025 at an open-air event at Utah Valley University. The alleged gunman, Tyler Robinson, is in custody but has not been convicted.
2025 Attempted Assassination of Trump
Saturday marked the third major attempt on Trump, with alleged gunman Cole Allen storming the White House Correspondents Association dinner and firing a gunshot before being subdued.
Allen is in custody and faces charges for allegedly attempting to assassinate the president.
Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.

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