Conservatives Targets of Political Violence Since Biden’s ‘MAGA Republicans’ Speech

President Joe Biden delivers a primetime speech at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia on Sept. 1, 2022. Alex Wong/Getty Images

There have been reports of high-profile acts of political violence against Republicans and conservatives since President Joe Biden’s controversial “MAGA Republicans” speech last month.

“Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic,” Biden said during a politically charged speech on Sept. 1 in Philadelphia.

While speaking in front of a dimly lit red backdrop and flanked by two U.S. Marines, Biden alleged that “MAGA Republicans” also promote “authoritarian leaders” and “fan the flames of political violence” to target rights and the “very soul of this country.”

While it isn’t clear if Biden’s speech motivated acts of vandalism or politically motivated attacks, several Republican offices across the country have been vandalized since then, including the Larimer County Republican Party in Fort Collins, Colorado; the Ottawa County Republican Party in Hudsonville, Michigan; and the Nebraska Republican Party headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The Republican Party office in Seminole County, Florida, was vandalized after Biden claimed days before his Philadelphia speech that Republicans engaged in “semi-fascism.”

“[Officials] came out and found that all of the signs had been hacked to pieces, our building had been vandalized, our permanent sign on the outside of the building had been torn up,” Keith den Hollander, chairman and vice chairman for Ottawa County Republican Party, told local media outlets last week. “Really disappointed to see this.”

A pregnancy center in Oakland County, Michigan, also was targeted by vandals, who scrawled pro-abortion threats on its front door. It’s the second time that the facility was targeted in the past year, according to local media outlets.

Other Incidents

Also in Michigan, a pro-life canvasser was shot in Odessa Township, officials said. A 74-year-old man, Richard Harvey, was charged with felony assault and reckless discharge of a firearm, the Michigan State Police announced this past weekend.

Joan Jacobson, 84, told MLive that she was canvassing with Right to Life, going door-to-door to ask residents to vote “no” next month on Proposal 3, a pro-abortion measure, when she was shot in the shoulder.

Harvey came forward last week, telling WOOD-TV that he shot Jacobson accidentally as she was arguing with his wife, who he said supports abortion. Harvey said he told Jacobson to leave their property on multiple occasions.

Also last month, 18-year-old Cayler Ellingson was killed when a 41-year-old man allegedly hit him with his vehicle and later told a 911 dispatcher that he thought Ellingson was part of an extremist Republican group, according to reports. The suspect, Shannon Brandt, was charged with murder in the teen’s death.

Cayler Ellingson in a file image. Cayler Ellingson/GoFundMe

An affidavit states that Brandt told the state first responders’ radio that he struck the pedestrian with his vehicle because the “pedestrian was threatening him,” referring to Ellingson, claiming that he was part of a “Republican extremist group.”

However, from the moment he called 911 after allegedly hitting Ellingson, “Brandt made comments regarding the incident being intentional and not an accident,” according to the affidavit.

An autopsy of Ellingson’s injuries indicated that he was already on the ground when he received them, and that his injuries didn’t come from being struck by Brandt’s car but from being run over. Corroborating the autopsy results, there was also little to no damage to the front of Brandt’s car, according to North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Jeramie Quam.

Witnesses at the scene told investigators that there was no evidence that suggested Ellingson had extremist viewpoints or that a political argument had even taken place, North Dakota Highway Patrol Capt. Bryan Niewind said.

“Words can have violent consequences,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who was physically attacked by his neighbor in 2017 and attacked by rioters after the 2020 Republican National Convention, said in a statement.

“President Biden needs to realize that his vilification of his opponents is inflaming some of his supporters to violence. As a victim of political violence, both sides need to recognize the consequences of heated rhetoric.”

In a recent comment about political violence, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates told Fox News that Biden “condemns these attacks and has been clear that violence, threats of violence, and vandalism are absolutely unacceptable—regardless of who is committing such acts or why.

“Like he said in Philadelphia, ‘There is no place for political violence in America. Period. None. Ever,’” Bates said. “The President believes that leaders in both parties should uphold that same principle, including when violence and threats are targeted against women seeking health care, members of law enforcement like the Capitol Police and the FBI, or the previous vice president.”

White House officials didn’t respond by press time to a request for comment.