A report released Wednesday by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution finds that an appetite for political violence has risen since 2021, the year of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Two years ago, just 15 percent of Americans agreed with the statement that “because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.” Now, 23 percent are in favor — including 33 percent of Republicans.
Unsurprisingly, Trump supporters, especially white evangelicals, are in the vanguard of this movement. Nearly one-third of white evangelicals, regardless of party affiliation, expressed support for political violence — easily the highest among all Americans. Among Americans with a favorable view of Trump, 41% of people are open to violence from “true American patriots.”
According to PRRI, white Christians are “notably more likely” to view immigrants as “an invading force.”
These findings are especially alarming amid Trump’s increasingly violent rhetoric that experts fear will further incite his followers to take dangerous and criminal actions. He ridiculed the assault of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul; he accused former Joint Chief of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley of treason and suggested that he be executed; he endorsed the police shooting of suspected shoplifters. And he has ramped up his already vitriolic attacks on perceived outsiders, claiming recently that undocumented immigrants were “poisoning the blood of our country.” Just this week, he pledged to “implement strong ideological screening of all immigrants” to keep out those who “don’t like our religion.”
It is clear what Trump means when he says “our religion.” According to PRRI, white Christians are “notably more likely” to view immigrants as “an invading force” than other religious groups, including 61% of white evangelical Protestants, 51% of white Catholics, and 46% of white mainline/nonevangelical Protestants. White evangelicals stand out not just for their continued support for Trump, but his stolen election lie, the QAnon conspiracy theory, comfort with authoritarianism and deep distrust of perceived outsiders, whether immigrants, LGBTQ people or even the judges and prosecutors Trump repeatedly slanders.
“White evangelical Protestants continue to be some of Trump’s most ardent supporters and remain the only major religious group in which a majority (61%) rate him favorably,” according to the report. Though 60 percent still doubt the 2020 election’s outcome, white evangelicals are more determined than any other demographic to vote in 2024, with 78 percent telling PRRI they are certain they will cast a ballot. Compare that to 61 percent of Black Protestants, 53 percent of non-Christian religious Americans, and 56 percent of religiously unaffiliated Americans.
But enthusiasm for voting should not be mistaken for a commitment to democracy. While most Americans (58 percent) believe there is “credible evidence that Donald Trump committed serious federal crimes,” just 28 percent of white evangelicals agree.








