A recent investigation has brought to light a long-standing pattern of violent rhetoric and imagery used by Democratic politicians, media figures, and celebrities against political opponents, dating back over a decade. The latest example involves Texas Democratic House candidate Jolanda Jones, who made a slashing motion across her neck on CNN’s ‘Outfront’ while rejecting former first lady Michelle Obama’s famous mantra, ‘when they go low, we go high.’ Jones claimed she was not speaking literally, as her campaign explained when contacted by Fox News Digital.
This incident follows previous reports of violent messages from Democrats, including Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner and Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones, who had written calls for the death of a Republican politician. These actions have sparked increased scrutiny into the role of political rhetoric in shaping public opinion and its potential impact on the democratic process.
Elected Democratic officials have also been guilty of using controversial language when attacking their opponents. In 2018, California Rep. Maxine Waters encouraged supporters at a rally to confront members of the Trump administration and ‘push back’ on them, saying, ‘If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them, and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.’
Additionally, in 2020, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., warned Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh that they would ‘pay the price’ for hearing an abortion-related case. In 2023, New York Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., warned that then-candidate Donald Trump was ‘destructive to our democracy’ and needed to be ‘eliminated,’ though he quickly apologized for his remarks, claiming it was a ‘poor choice of words.’
Even former President Joe Biden has used heated language against Trump during his time in office, telling donors during a call in 2024 that it was ‘time to put Trump in the bulls-eye,’ after repeatedly claiming Trump was a ‘threat to democracy.’
Outside the political sphere, mainstream media commentators have made controversial comments that appeared to encourage violence. In 2013, MSNBC anchor Martin Bashir called former Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin an ‘idiot’ and ‘dunce’ and told viewers that someone should defecate in Palin’s mouth, invoking an old slave punishment in response to a speech where Palin compared the national debt to slavery. Bashir stepped down from his position weeks later.
MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace suggested that media reporters were tempted to ‘wring’ the neck of then-press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in 2018, sparking a public backlash and prompting her to apologize for the ‘poor choice of words.’ The violence in rhetoric extended into Hollywood, where several anti-Trump celebrities appeared to advocate for violence against the president. During the Women’s March in 2017, singer and actress Madonna remarked that she had thought ‘an awful lot about blowing up the White House,’ which she later defended, claiming the comments were ‘taken wildly out of context.’
That same year, actor Johnny Depp joked at a music festival, ‘When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?’ before adding, ‘Maybe it’s time.’ He later apologized for his comments, insisting that only meant to ‘amuse’ and not harm. Most notably, comedian Kathy Griffin gained attention in 2017 by posting an image of herself holding a realistic replica of Trump’s severed head covered in fake blood. She was later investigated by the Secret Service but has stood by the image, claiming it is her First Amendment right.
These incidents highlight a broader concern about the normalization of violent rhetoric in political discourse, with critics arguing that such language can incite hostility and erode the principles of democratic debate. The divide between political ideologies has become more pronounced, with both parties accused of using inflammatory rhetoric and imagery as part of their strategy. As the political landscape continues to evolve, the role of media and public figures in shaping discourse remains a critical point of discussion.