Concerns grow over relationship between political violence and social media

AUSTIN - President Donald Trump is facing criticism after calling a video by Democratic lawmakers "seditious behavior punishable by death," a comment that has renewed concern about political rhetoric and the link between social media and political violence.

In the video, Democratic members of Congress urged military personnel to reject any "illegal" orders issued by the president. Trump’s response on his social media platform, Truth Social, drew sharp backlash and reignited debate about how online platforms amplify political tensions.

Violent political rhetoric

Local perspective:

Nationwide, political violence has become an increasing concern for elected officials and candidates.

"I got out at a time when I felt like there were legitimate risks to being a public official that, at that time, had not really materialized. Now they have materialized," said Mark Strama, a former Texas state representative who now directs the Annette Strauss Center for Civic Life at the University of Texas at Austin.

Strama said social media has transformed the way people perceive reality and interact with one another.

"We’re not living in the same realities," he said. "Our perception of the world is completely different from each other’s perceptions because we see a completely different newsfeed."

Strama added that social platforms often amplify extreme viewpoints, sometimes leading to real-world violence.

"There is also something about social media that amplifies extremes, that makes people act in ways that they don’t act toward each other in person," he said.

Threats against congress increase

Big picture view:

According to the United States Capitol Police, nearly 9,500 threats against members of Congress were investigated in 2024. A 140% increase over the past eight years.

Recent high-profile incidents have highlighted the dangers across the political spectrum. Those include the attempted assassination of Trump at a campaign rally last year, the fatal shooting of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband in June, and the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a college event in September.

Threats on Texas candidate

What they're saying:

In Texas, local candidates have also reported threats.

"Charlie Kirk said basically the same things that I’m saying now, and now I’m a threat because I actually have the chance of getting into Congress," said Valentina Gomez, a Republican congressional candidate for Texas’ 31st District.

Gomez said she has received numerous death threats on X, formerly Twitter, following Kirk’s death. Despite the hostility, she said she has no plans to change her outspoken online style.

"I know I push the First Amendment to its limits, but I get to say whatever is on my heart, whatever is on my mind," Gomez said. "I will continue to do that, because this is the only country in the world that allows you to say that."

Future of online threats to politicians 

Dig deeper:

Strama said the increasingly hostile climate could dissuade others from running for office.

Heading into future elections, he suggested that Americans take some of their political discussions offline and seek out different viewpoints to prevent social media feeds from becoming echo chambers.