Just who is demonizing whom?

President Donald Trump has recently complained about the demonization of political opponents, casting himself and his supporters as the primary victims of unfair attacks. Yet this framing ignores his own long record of demonizing Democrats and federal judges with whom he disagrees. Trump has repeatedly branded Democrats as “anti-American” or “enemies of the people,” language that portrays political disagreement as disloyalty to the nation. He has also harshly disparaged federal judges who ruled against him, calling them “so-called judges” or questioning their impartiality based on ethnicity or political appointment. By downplaying his own role in fueling hostility while accusing others of divisiveness, Trump exemplifies the very pattern of rhetoric he claims to oppose.

Recent Attacks and Threats Against Democratic Legislators and Judges

One of the most shocking attacks in recent years occurred on July 19, 2020, when the family of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in New Jersey was targeted. A gunman disguised in a FedEx delivery uniform came to her home in North Brunswick, opened fire at the front door, and killed her 20-year-old son, Daniel Anderl. Her husband, Mark Anderl, was critically wounded but survived. Judge Salas herself was unharmed. The attacker, attorney Roy Den Hollander, later died by suicide. Investigators found that he had specifically targeted Salas due to her role as a federal judge and his deep-seated grievances, including misogynistic views (ABC News, July 20, 2020; CBS News, July 2020).

There have been many actual violent incidents: for example, in April 2025, an attacker firebombed the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg while Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and his family were inside; the suspect reportedly used Molotov cocktails, broke windows, and expressed hatred toward Shapiro in political and religious terms. (Reuters, April 2025; ABC News, April 2025; City & State PA, April 2025)

In Michigan, Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer was the target of a foiled kidnapping and assassination plot in 2020, organized by members of a far-right militia group. The conspirators planned to abduct Whitmer from her vacation home and potentially execute her, while also plotting to blow up a bridge to slow down law enforcement response. Several members were arrested, and in 2022 two ringleaders, Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr., were convicted in federal court. Their convictions were upheld on appeal in 2025, keeping the case in the headlines as an example of extremist violence aimed at Democratic leaders (AP News, Aug. 2022; Justice Department press release, Aug. 23, 2022).

A more recent case of deadly political violence occurred in Minnesota on June 14, 2025, when two Democratic lawmakers were shot in their homes. Rep. Melissa Hortman, a former Speaker of the Minnesota House, and her husband were killed, while State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were wounded but survived. Police described the shooter as having posed as a police officer to gain access, and officials later stated that the attack was a targeted act of political violence against Democratic legislators (Reuters, June 16, 2025; Wikipedia entry “2025 shootings of Minnesota legislators”). Beyond these headline events, there has been a troubling rise in threats against federal judges more broadly. In 2025, the Justice Department arrested a man who had authored a 236-page “manifesto” titled How to Kill a Federal Judge, which named multiple judges and circulated in public libraries. Prosecutors considered it a direct incitement to violence against the judiciary (Reuters, Sept. 9, 2025).

Similarly, in the spring of 2025, federal judges began reporting a wave of anonymous pizza deliveries to their homes, sometimes under the name of Judge Salas’s murdered son, Daniel Anderl—widely interpreted as an intimidation tactic aimed at reminding judges of the Salas attack (Washington Post, May 6, 2025). Taken together, these incidents reveal a disturbing pattern of violence and threats directed disproportionately at Democratic leaders and members of the judiciary, fueled by extremist ideology, political grievances, and efforts to intimidate officials from carrying out their duties.

Just who is demonizing whom? Republicans Calling Democrats “Anti-American” (or equivalent) Speaker Mike Johnson — Mar 25, 2025 “Democrats’ message has gone from anti-Trump to anti-America,” and he referred to a “Democrats’ anti-American agenda.” (Source: http://mikejohnson.house.gov press release, Mar 25, 2025)

Donald Trump — Jul 15, 2019 Said four Democratic congresswomen “hate our country.” (Source: The Hill / CBS coverage of Trump rally remarks, July 2019)

Donald Trump — Jul 4, 2025 (Independence Day weekend, Iowa) “I hate them… I really believe they hate our country.” (Source: News coverage of Trump’s July 4, 2025 speech in Iowa) Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene — Nov 29, 2021 Said Rep. Ilhan Omar should apologize for “anti-American, anti-Semitic, anti-police rhetoric.” (Source: C-SPAN / House floor remarks, Nov 2021)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene — Mar 26, 2025 Opened an oversight hearing titled “Anti-American Airwaves,” accusing NPR and PBS of spreading a “communist agenda.” (Source: House Oversight Committee hearing transcript, Mar 26, 2025)

Rep. Lauren Boebert — Nov 29, 2021 Called Rep. Omar’s rhetoric “anti-American,” demanded a public apology. (Source: CNN / NBC reporting on Boebert’s conference call, Nov 2021) Former Speaker Newt Gingrich — Jun 20, 2019 On Fox News: “Democrats have become an anti-American party.” (Source: Fox News interview, June 2019)

Rep. Elise Stefanik — Sep 18, 2024 Claimed “Far Left Democrat policies have threatened the American way of life.” (Source: Stefanik campaign speech / local news coverage, Sept 2024)

Rep. Kevin McCarthy — Jun 10, 2021 Condemned Rep. Omar’s “anti-American comments” as abhorrent. (Source: McCarthy press conference transcript, June 2021) Rep. Steve Scalise — Mar 2025 Said “The Democrat Party… seems to be rooting against the success of America just because they hate Donald Trump.” (Source: House Republican press briefing, Mar 2025)

Sen. Josh Hawley — Jun 11, 2020 Accused Democrats and the “woke mob” of stoking “hatred of the nation we all call home.” (Source: Senate floor speech, June 2020) Sen. Tom Cotton — Jun 25, 2020 Said Democrats pushing DC statehood were a “narrow faction that scorns the history of our country.” (Source: Senate floor debate transcript, June 2020) Donald Trump (retweet) — May 28, 2020 Amplified a video saying “the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat,” where the speaker added Democrats’ agenda is “anti-American.” (Source: Trump’s Twitter/X account, May 2020; CBS News coverage) Rudy Giuliani — Feb 18–19, 2015 Said President Obama “doesn’t love America.” (Source: The New York Times & Washington Post coverage, Feb 2015)

Speaker Mike Johnson — Feb 5, 2025 In a press conference, blasted “Democrats’ recent inflammatory rhetoric,” again framing their approach as hostile to core American interests. (Source: House GOP press conference transcript, Feb 2025)