The desensitization of some Americans following the second assassination attempt of former President Trump is alarming. Seventeen percent (17%) of voters believe America would have been better off if former President Trump had been killed in last week’s attempted assassination.
That figure includes 28% of Democrats who say that America would have been better off if Trump had been assassinated. Another 24% of Democrats were not sure. Fewer than half (48%) of Democrats could bring themselves to say that America would not be better off if the opposing party’s candidate for president had been assassinated.
Scott Rasmussen, president of RMG Research, said “It is hard to imagine a greater threat to democracy than expressing a desire to have your political opponent murdered.”
Despite two assassination attempts in two months, just over half of all Democrats (51%) don’t see a need to increase Trump’s security detail. Among all voters, 62% think Trump’s security should be increased and 32% disagree.
Forty-nine percent (49%) of Democrats think it’s at least somewhat likely that Trump himself or the Trump campaign was involved with the assassination attempt, with 21% saying it was very likely. Fifty-two percent (52%) of Republicans think it’s at least somewhat likely that the Democratic Party or the Harris campaign was involved, with 28% saying it’s very likely.
These results are the latest evidence of how polarized the electorate has become this election season. Voters for both Trump and Harris overwhelmingly say they can’t understand how a reasonable person could vote for Trump or Harris.
Upon reviewing the data, Rasmussen noted that “I continue to believe that America’s best days are still to come. However, for years I’ve been saying that things will get worse before they get better. These numbers suggest that the phase of getting worse is clearly upon us.”
This Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 Registered Voters was conducted online by Scott Rasmussen on September 16-17, 2024. Field work for the survey was conducted by RMG Research, Inc.
