WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans fear their country is spiraling out of control following an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, with worries growing that the Nov 5 election could spark more political violence, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
The two-day poll found Republican presidential candidate Trump opening a marginal lead among registered voters - 43 percent to 41 percent - over Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden, an advantage that was within the poll’s 3 percentage point margin of error, suggesting the attempt on Trump’s life had not sparked a major shift in voter sentiment.
But 80 percent of voters - including similar shares of Democrats and Republicans - said they agreed with a statement that “the country is spiraling out of the control.” The poll, which was conducted online, surveyed 1,202 U.S. adults nationwide, including 992 registered voters.
Trump narrowly avoided death on Saturday when a would-be assassin’s bullet grazed his ear as he spoke at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Blood trickled across his face and he defiantly pumped his fist in the air, mouthing the words “Fight! Fight! Fight!” as he was rushed offstage. A rally attendee was slain and two others seriously injured.
Some 84 percent of voters in the poll said they were concerned that extremists will commit acts of violence after the election, an increase from the results of a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in May that showed 74 percent of voters having that fear.
Fears of political violence became more prominent in America after thousands of Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a bid to overturn Trump’s election loss to Biden. Four people died on the day of the attack, and one Capitol Police officer who fought against the rioters died the next day.
While Americans said they feared violence, few condoned it. Just 5 percent of respondents said it was acceptable for someone in their political party to commit violence to achieve a political goal, down from 12 percent in a Reuters/Ipsos poll from June 2023.
Some 67 percent of respondents in the latest poll said they were concerned about acts of violence against their community because of their political beliefs, compared to 60 percent in a Reuters/Ipsos poll from June 2023. Bipartisan majorities in the latest poll said they were concerned Americans could resort to violence instead of coming together peacefully to solve disagreements.
The attempt on Trump’s life has dominated media headlines and fueled discussion among some of his conservative Christian supporters that he was protected by God.