Over the past decade, the United States has experienced a troubling rise in political violence. From the deadly attack in Charlottesville that took the life of Heather Heyer and injured dozens, to the January 6th insurrection where a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and most recently, the assassination of Charlie Kirk — the threat has become undeniable.

Throughout this period, our president has repeatedly failed to clearly and unequivocally condemn political violence. In several instances, he has gone further — justifying or even emboldening it.

Rather than disavow violence, Trump has made excuses. He recently stated:

“I’ll tell you something that’s gonna get me in trouble, but I couldn’t care less. The radicals on the right oftentimes are radical because they don’t want to see crime. The radicals on the left are the problem.”
And during his remarks at Charlie Kirk’s memorial — a moment when the country needed unity and leadership — he said:

“He did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them. That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponents, and I don’t want the best for them.”
In a time of rising political tensions, this kind of rhetoric is dangerous. Americans deserve to live without fear of violence for simply expressing their views.

We are calling on you to sign this petition demanding that the president make a clear and public statement condemning all forms of political violence — including right-wing violence — without deflecting blame onto the very people he vowed to serve.

Executive orders

The Trump administration’s refusal to condemn political violence has created a dangerous environment where attacks on free speech and political opponents are not only tolerated but encouraged. This is reflected in a series of malicious executive orders that weaponize presidential power to pit Americans against each other through the vindictive targeting of political opponents or through the escalation of the force of the state against citizens.

Any statement of condemnation will ring hollow while these executive orders stand. If President Trump withdraws these executive orders along with a statement aimed at bringing down the temperature in the country, it would go a great distance to reduce the risk of continued political violence and tensions.

• 14152    Holding Former Government Officials Accountable for Election Interference and Improper Disclosure of Sensitive Governmental Information
• 14230    Addressing Risks From Perkins Coie LLP
• 14237    Addressing Risks From Paul Weiss
• 14244    Addressing Remedial Action by Paul Weiss
• 14246    Addressing Risks From Jenner & Block
• 14250    Addressing Risks From WilmerHale
• 14263    Addressing Risks From Susman Godfrey
• 14287    Protecting American Communities From Criminal Aliens
• 14333    Declaring a Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia
• 14339    Additional Measures To Address the Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia
• 14340    Measures To End Cashless Bail and Enforce the Law in the District of Columbia
• 14341    Prosecuting Burning of the American Flag