Trump Zealots, Rightists Account for 80% of US Political Murders: Study

Following the Sept. 10 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, President Donald Trump claimed that radical leftist groups foment political violence in the US and “should be put in jail.”

Government and independent analyses show right-wing extremist violence has been responsible for 75% to 80% of US domestic terrorism deaths since 2001. (Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri Wikimedia Commons)

Without evidence, Trump argued that “the radical left causes tremendous violence… they seem to do it in a bigger way than groups on the right,” according to Art Jipson and Paul J. Becker in The Conversation.

But research shows otherwise. “The president’s and [Stephen] Miller’s assertions about political violence from the left are not based on actual facts,” Jipson and Becker wrote.

Their work on extremism, combined with related studies, indicates that right-wing extremists are responsible for the overwhelming majority of domestic terrorism fatalities.

While politically motivated violence represents a small fraction of overall violent crime, its symbolic targets, timing, and media coverage amplify its impact.

In the first half of 2025, 35% of violent incidents tracked by University of Maryland researchers targeted US government personnel or facilities — more than double the rate in 2024.

Government and independent analyses show right-wing extremist violence has been responsible for 75% to 80% of US domestic terrorism deaths since 2001.

By contrast, left-wing extremist incidents — including those tied to anarchist or environmental movements — account for about 10% to 15% of incidents and less than 5% of fatalities, Jipson and Becker concluded.