The man who bludgeoned former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer last year consumed a steady diet of right-wing conspiracy theories before an attack that took place with the midterm elections less than two weeks away.

As the 2024 presidential campaign heats up, experts on extremism fear the threat of politically motivated violence will intensify. From “Pizzagate” to QAnon and to “Stop the Steal,” conspiracy theories that demonized Donald Trump’s enemies are morphing and spreading as the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination aims for a return to the White House.

“No longer are these conspiracy theories and very divisive and vicious ideologies separated at the fringes,” said Jacob Ware, a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who focuses on domestic terrorism. “They’re now infiltrating American society on a massive scale.”

  • Bri Guy
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    171 year ago

    Looks like it’s just gonna get worse and worse

  • Flying Squid
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    131 year ago

    There are still people who idolize Timothy McVeigh. One of them is going to try to do what he did at some point, and I’m worried that point is coming soon.

  • @Touching_Grass
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    121 year ago

    All the billionaires and millionaires that funded and supported the last coup all vaporized after the last election right. There’s no way they learned, organized and have been preparing.

  • @800XL
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    71 year ago

    Punch fascists.

    • @Zahille7
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      31 year ago

      Everytime I see/hear this sentiment, Walk by Pantera starts playing in my head.

      • @atx_aquarian
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        1 year ago

        Off-topic tangent: I just saw the Sam Antonio zoo’s new-ish skywalk (which has been there for a couple of years) for their jaguar. Some badass named it Pantera Walk.

      • @vxx
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        21 year ago

        Didn’t the pantera singer do a Nazi salute on stage and shout “white power”?

        • @Zahille7
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          11 year ago

          I don’t follow the band. I literally only listen to like two of their songs. Walk, and Cowboys From Hell.

          I think I equate Walk with “punch fascists” because the album cover for Vulgar Display of Power is someone getting absolutely rocked in the jaw.