Right-wing extremists call for violence and war after Trump assassination attempt

Following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, right-wing extremist online communities called for violence, retaliation and civil war on Saturday evening.

“I guess they really want war,” wrote a member of the pro-Trump message board The Donald in a now-deleted post on Saturday night.

Many other members of the message board, which played a key role in coordinating activities leading up to the Capitol riots on January 6, agreed in their responses to the post.

“Let’s give it to them,” one person wrote. Another added, “I’m ready. This is the final straw for me.” Another user wrote, “DAMN. CIVIL WAR. I’m ready to be done with this Democrat bullshit.”

Details of these posts were provided to WIRED by researchers at Advance Democracy, a nonprofit organization that conducts research in the public interest.

Even established online platforms like X and Facebook were flooded with conspiracy theories and misinformation following the shooting. But in far-right communities, conversations mostly revolved around the question of what might happen next.

“They’ve been trying to take this guy out since he took office,” wrote a member of Uncle Sam’s Telegram channel “Proud Boys Upstate NY” in response to an image of Trump being shot with his fist raised and blood on his face. “Too bad for them they probably missed their only chance in this failed attempt because they’re about to really see what happens when you prod the bear for too long, i.e. true American patriots. Fuck the DNC, fuck the RINOs, fuck the FEDs and fuck the MSM. They should all be hanged in the streets.”

In a Telegram channel of the notorious Legend Valley Proud Boys, a branch of the far-right militia in Ohio, a member wrote: “Laugh and grin now, you left-wing cunts, but never forget that you always reap what you sow.”

Users on The Donald also called for the arrest of all Democrats.

“It’s war now,” the user wrote. “They don’t want to live and let live. We must finish what should have been done after the Civil War: wipe out and eliminate all Democrats and anyone who even thinks of being a Democrat.”

Calls for violence and civil war from far-right circles are nothing new. After the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago in 2022, Trump supporters immediately called for an armed insurrection. Similar calls were made earlier this year when Trump was found guilty on 34 counts. While these calls for violence do not always lead to real-world action, there are numerous examples of online rhetoric leading to offline violence, most notably the Capitol insurrection.

“Unlike the messaging following the attacks on the FBI’s Cincinnati field office and on Paul Pelosi, there is a concerted effort to portray this as a result of left-wing rhetoric around Trump and fascism,” Jon Lewis, a research fellow at George Washington University’s Extremism Program, told WIRED. “From top to bottom, from members of Congress to right-wing influencers to neo-Nazi Telegram channels, a single, clear message is being spread: We must fight back.”

According to researchers at Advance Democracy, it is difficult to assess the extent of the online attacks as the situation is still evolving and could escalate.

On Sunday, one of the main topics of conversation on The Donald was what would have happened if Trump had been killed, with most claiming the response would have been much deadlier and much faster.

“I told my neighbor if Trump had been killed I would have taken out my stuff, quit my job and started working on my bucket list,” one user wrote.

These calls for violence are not limited to the internet. Minutes after Trump was shot and killed in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, the former president’s supporters quickly turned against the media covering the rally.

“Fake news! This is your fault!” they shouted, according to Axios reporter Sophia Cai, who was on site. “You’re next! Your hour is coming,” shouted another. Several participants tried to enter the media area but were stopped by security guards.