According to a survey conducted by Napolitan News Service and RMG Research, 17 percent of registered voters believe America would have been better off if Trump had been fatally shot by a gunman lurking in the bushes at his West Palm Beach golf course last week. This number includes 28 percent of Democrats who indicated that the country would be better off if Trump had been assassinated. Another 24 percent of Democrats were unsure, while fewer than half (48 percent) said the nation would not be better off if the opposing party’s candidate was killed. This alarming sentiment reflects deep political divisions that have become more pronounced in recent years. “It is hard to imagine a greater threat to democracy than expressing a desire to have your political opponent murdered,” said Scott Rasmussen, president of RMG Research. The former president has now faced two assassination attempts in as many months, with speculation that more attempts could follow as the 2024 election approaches. Despite these incidents, more than half of Democrats (51 percent) stated they did not see a need to increase Trump's security detail, according to the survey. Among all voters, 62 percent believe his security should be bolstered, while 32 percent disagreed. In a further indication of how polarized the political landscape has become, nearly half of Democrats expressed doubts about the legitimacy of the assassination attempt. Further reflecting just how polarized the American political environment has become, nearly half of Democrats don’t believe the assassination attack was legitimate. Forty-nine percent said it was likely that Trump or his campaign was somehow involved, with 21 percent saying it was "very likely." On the other side, 52 percent of Republicans believe it is likely that the Democratic Party or the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris played a role in the attempt, with 28 percent calling it “very likely.” After reviewing the findings, Rasmussen added, “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.”In a shocking poll that highlights the growing desensitization to political violence, a large number of American voters expressed the country would be better off had former President Donald Trump been killed in a recent assassination attempt.
