Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) shocked many in his own party this week when he highlighted a study confirming what conservatives have warned about for years: left-wing terrorism is now at a 30-year high.
In a post on X, Fetterman shared a screenshot of an Axios article titled “Study: Left-wing terrorism climbs to 30-year high,” and admitted that “political violence is always wrong.” He went further, issuing a rebuke to his fellow Democrats: “Unchecked extreme rhetoric, like labels as Hitler or fascist, will foment more extreme outcomes. Political violence is always wrong — no exceptions. We must all turn the temperature down.”
The Axios report, based on data from the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), revealed an important shift. For decades, most domestic terror incidents were attributed to right-wing actors. But in the first half of 2025, left-wing extremists were responsible for five separate attacks or plots compared to only one attributed to the far right. CSIS tracked 750 incidents since 1994 and found that while right-wing extremists carried out more attacks overall, the momentum has now swung dramatically in the opposite direction.
The study also showed that since 2016, left-wing extremists have carried out 41 attacks, compared to 152 by the far right. Left-wing violence has killed 13 people in the last decade — fewer than right-wing or jihadist violence — but the growing frequency signals a dangerous trend, especially when stoked by inflammatory political rhetoric.
This warning comes on the heels of a national tragedy: the September 10 assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk during a campus event in Utah. Investigators discovered the shooter’s rifle casings were etched with messages like “Hey fascist! Catch!” — a chilling reflection of the very rhetoric that is being normalized by left-wing politicians and activists.
Despite this sobering reality, leading Democrats like California Gov. Gavin Newsom continue to casually smear Trump officials such as White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller as “fascists.” Such language, once considered fringe, is now commonplace—and it is fueling a climate where violence feels justified to the most radical actors on the left.
The danger is clear: when political leaders dehumanize opponents and cast them as Nazis or dictators, it isn’t just rhetoric. It creates permission for violence. What’s unfolding is not only a threat to conservatives, but a threat to civil society itself. Protecting free speech, ensuring equal justice, and holding leaders accountable for reckless rhetoric are no longer optional—they are essential to safeguarding the country.
