OAN Staff Blake Wolf
1:40 PM – Monday, April 7, 2025
A recent survey revealed that a majority of self-identified leftists believe that an assassination of President Donald Trump—if such an event would ever occur, given several prior attempts on his life—would be “somewhat justified.”
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The report, coming from a survey conducted by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), found that 55% of self-identified “left of center” respondents believe that if Trump was ever murdered, it would be justified, suggesting that left-wing Americans’ hatred for Trump has no bounds.
Additionally, the survey found that 48% of “left of center” respondents believe killing Musk would similarly be justified, presumably due to his role as a special government employee (SGE) in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), under the Trump administration — working to eliminate waste, fraud, and overspending in the federal government.
“What was formerly taboo culturally has become acceptable,” stated Joel Finkelstein, the author of the report.
“We are seeing a clear shift – glorification, increased attempts and changing norms – all converging into what we define as ‘assassination culture,’” he continued.
The study also referenced data stemming from the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was purportedly murdered by 26-year-old Luigi Mangione last December. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced at the start of April that she was directing prosecutors to seek the death penalty in Mangione’s case.
Following Thompson’s death, Mangione was lauded as a hero and a martyr by a slew of leftists and liberals online. They praised the 26-year-old for targeting the healthcare system and killing an individual that was viewed as emblematic of one of its most egregious offenders.
“It’s not just Luigi anymore,” Finkelstein stated. “We’re seeing an expansion: Trump, Musk and others are now being openly discussed as legitimate targets, often cloaked in meme culture and gamified online dialogue.”
“Trump represents the perfect target for assassination culture. He’s powerful, he’s rich and he’s provocative,” Finkelstein added. “That puts him on the highest shelf for those who glorify political violence.”
Additionally, the report discusses the new social media platform “BlueSky,” which was introduced as an alternative social media platform for lefties who do not want to support Elon Musk by logging on to his platform, X.
“BlueSky was modeled as a safe alternative to Twitter for the left, but what it’s become is an extremist platform,” Finkelstein stated. “It functions today much like 4chan or Gab once did for far-right ideologies. These platforms are now lead indicators of violent real-world trends.”
The report went on to reveal that BlueSky saw an extreme spike in engagement on posts referencing Trump, Musk, and Mangione — with over 2 million engagements on over 200,000 posts in just a few months. There are currently over 33 million Bluesky users, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is the most-followed person on the platform, according to Exploding Topics.
“When people feel like they have no say, no future and no leadership offering vision, they become susceptible to radical ideation,” Finkelstein stated. “And that’s when the memes turn into permission structures for real violence.”
Finkelstein added that the NCRI is “not an anti-free speech organization.”
“But we know what a threat is. And what’s happening online on platforms like BlueSky represents a significant threat to American democratic values. If leaders on the left explicitly condemn these trends and reassert moral norms, they can dismantle this culture quickly,” he added. “It’s about reminding people there is a future worth striving for that doesn’t involve glorifying political violence.”
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