US Politics

Marion McKeone: Trump campaign’s normalisation of violence must be taken seriously

Physical intimidation on Capitol Hill is becoming common – and few Republicans are willing to call it out

Former US President Donald Trump: the rhetoric unleashed during his 2024 presidential campaign has seen a dramatic escalation in threats against his political opponents, immigrants and minority groups, and an authoritarian creep that glorifies the prospect of violence. Picture: Getty

Last week, four seemingly unconnected events took place in New York, California and Washington DC, all of which have fuelled concerns about the escalating use of violent rhetoric in American politics.

In a San Francisco courtroom on Thursday, Trump supporter and right-wing conspiracy theorist David Wayne DePape, 43, was found guilty of attempted kidnapping and assault charges stemming from a brutal attack on the husband of Nancy Pelosi.

DePape inflicted serious head and arm injuries ...