It’s About Hate: Approval of Donald Trump, Racism, Xenophobia and Support for Political Violence

James Piazza, Natalia Van Doren

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

Is approval of Donald J. Trump associated with support for political violence? If so, what explains the link between Trump approval and political violence? Using an original, nationally representative survey of over 1,500 adults in the United States we produce two findings. First, individuals who express approval for Trump are also significantly more likely to endorse positive descriptors for the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and are more likely express support for the use of political violence more broadly. Second, the effects of Trump approval on support for the use of political violence are mediated through racist and xenophobic attitudes. Trump supporters in the study disproportionately exhibit racist and xenophobic/anti-foreigner attitudes, and these attitudes are associated with a positive endorsement of both January 6 and the use of political violence.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)299-314
Number of pages16
JournalAmerican Politics Research
Volume51
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2023

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Sociology and Political Science

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