The majority of voters agree that "irresponsible rhetoric," such as calling a political adversary a "threat to democracy," has led to the recent assassination attempts on former president Donald Trump.
The poll, conducted by the Senate Opportunity Fund, found that 57 percent of voters somewhat or strongly agree that "labeling a political opponent a threat to democracy is irresponsible rhetoric which leads to political violence, like assassination attempts."
The poll comes just a week after authorities arrested the suspect in the second attempt on Trump's life in less than two months. Republicans, including Trump, have blamed the multiple assassination attempts against the former president on Democrats' claims that Trump is a "threat to democracy." Most voters align with Republicans' views on the issue, the poll found.
The poll found that even over a third of "liberal" respondents agreed that calling Trump a "threat to democracy" led to the attempts on his life. Half of "moderate" voters and 79 percent of "conservative" respondents agreed this kind of language leads to political violence.
The most recent would-be assassin, Ryan Wesley Routh, often reiterated Democrats' claim that Trump is an "existential threat" to American "democracy."
"Democracy is on the ballot" this year, and "we cannot lose," Routh posted on social media, echoing the anti-Trump rhetoric used by Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden.
On Sept. 15, Routh pushed the muzzle of an AK-47 through the perimeter of Trump's West Palm Beach golf course in Florida, hoping to take the former president's life. Before he got a shot off, a Secret Service agent saw Routh's barrel and fired multiple shots, forcing Routh to flee the course. He was soon arrested.
Democrats and the mainstream media, however, have not only downplayed Routh's assassination attempt but also blamed Trump for inciting violence against himself.
Former Democratic National Committee chairwoman Donna Brazile, for example, authored a piece in The Hill titled "Trump's Rhetoric Has Caused Violence, Not Democrats Calling Him a Threat to Democracy," while ABC News published the headline "Trump Blames Democrats for Heated Environment Despite His Own Inflammatory Rhetoric."
Even after two assassination attempts on Trump, Democrats have continued to call their chief political opponent a "threat to democracy."
Just one day after the second assassination attempt, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton told MSNBC that Trump is a "danger to our country and the world." Similarly, on Monday morning, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough said that Trump was absolutely a "threat to democracy."
The first attempt on Trump's life was on July 13 at a Pennsylvania rally. The gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, killed one attendee and wounded three others, including Trump, before being killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper.