Something has changed in America’s psyche. Violence has become more acceptable. It’s not just that we’ve seen two attempted – and very nearly successful – attacks on Donald Trump’s life, it’s that a worrying number of young Americans cheered on those attempted assassinations and still wish they had succeeded.
Since early this year there has been widespread public support for smashing up Tesla dealerships – and for shooting Elon Musk. An unprecedented 10,000 new threats have been made against Senate and congressional members just this year, according to Capitol Police.
Applause for the actual murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December goes on, unabated, online. His handsome young accused killer, Luigi Mangione, is praised, respected and even worshipped by a small – but growing – social media community. Elias Rodriguez, the man accused of killing two Israeli embassy officials in Washington on May 21, had praised Mangione on his social media.
More: