By Jackson Colo
Editor-in-Chief
The White House’s (shown above) east wing is currently being torn down by the current Trump Administration amidst an ongoing government shutdown—the longest in history.
Political violence in America is rapidly increasing, and it isn’t going to stop. The current political atmosphere has been dominated by the spread of harmful language, name-calling, and bullying from all sides of the political spectrum. This behavior isn’t merely tolerated; it’s celebrated, and I believe the major contributor currently sits in the White House—the people’s house.
Although our country has seen acts of violence before, political violence has swiftly risen since the start of the 2024 Presidential Election cycle, in which President Donald Trump won. Since then, Trump has fallen victim to multiple assassination attempts; Pennsylvania’s Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence was set aflame; Democratic Minnesota Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband were gunned down in their home by a man who posed as a policeman; and most recently, conservative political activist Charlie Kirk was publicly shot and killed during a peaceful debate on a college campus.
These harrowing acts don’t pick sides. Their perpetrators come from diverse backgrounds—different families, varying socioeconomic statuses, and different voting registration histories. The violent acts are carried out quickly, but their impacts are lasting. I often find myself asking, “Why now? What’s changed?” The answer: our country is in a state of terminal division filled with hateful, divisive rhetoric that’s amplified by the media.
President Trump embodies what the current Republican Party stands for. His speech is offensive, negative, and leaves no room for the opposition, often referring to his political opponents as “the enemy from within.” He doesn’t just live in the divide; he fuels it. He exists in an echo chamber of his own making with power that remains unchecked. How does someone stand up to such power when their life may be on the line? It’s impossible.
Although Trump condemns political violence on all sides, his reactions to such acts have been skewed. Trump sent no Republican officials to Democratic Congresswoman Melissa Hortman’s funeral. However, Republican activist Charlie Kirk’s memorial was teeming with members of his cabinet, including Trump himself. Following Kirk’s death, Trump ordered the American flag to be flown at half-mast across the country, an action that wasn’t carried out after Hortman’s passing.
“Well, if the governor had asked me to do that, I would have done that, but the governor of Minnesota didn’t ask me,” Trump said during a White House press briefing in response to his lack of initiative in lowering the flag for Hortman.
In response, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s office released a statement: “Governor Walz wishes that President Trump would be a President for all Americans,” the statement read.
Walz isn’t alone in his grievances. On June 15 and October 18, upwards of ten million Americans joined in protest of Trump’s tyrannical power. The President’s social media response was telling: an AI video depicting him piloting a fighter jet that dropped feces on protestors across the nation.
Our country is divided. We are led by bigotry, not acceptance. A bullet doesn’t see blue or red. A fire doesn’t choose what to burn. A bomb doesn’t pick when to go off. Until we reach a common ground, our country will continue to operate through turmoil, hate, and violence.
This state isn’t concrete, though. On July 4, 2026, our nation will celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding—a major milestone for Americans across the country and democracy across the globe. We have seen change before; it is possible. It’s not something achieved by military force or violence. It’s achieved by human decency, a renewed respect for opinions different from ours, and an end to our country’s near-fatal divide.