The violence at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday underscores how dangerous this political moment is in the United States. For the past several years — certainly since Jan. 6, 2021 — the U.S. has been experiencing a period of increased political violence.

Researchers at the Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab have documented an increase in the U.S. in recent years of political violence, generally defined as violence that is motivated by politics or is intended to communicate a political message or achieve a political objective. Several recent examples come to mind: the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol; multiple assassination attempts on President Donald Trump; the deadly attacks on Minnesota lawmakers Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman that left Hortman and her husband dead; the attempted murder of Paul Pelosi; the killing of Charlie Kirk. In my home state of Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro was targeted in an attack on the governor’s mansion.

James Piazza is a professor of political science at Penn State. This article was produced in partnership with the Conversation.

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