Reaction to Attempted Assassination of Trump by J.D. Vance

In a recent article, Senator J.D. Vance, who is now the Republican vice presidential candidate, quickly attributed the assassination attempt on Donald Trump to the White House. Vance tweeted that the incident reflects the Biden campaign’s portrayal of Trump as a threat to democracy. However, early indications suggest that the would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was a Republican and a gun enthusiast, rather than a progressive motivated by anti-Trump sentiments.
The article explores the concept of “stochastic terrorism,” which posits that extreme political rhetoric can incite “lone-wolf” violence, thereby making those who spread such rhetoric responsible for subsequent violent acts. The author argues that this theory is inconsistently applied and undermines free speech by conflating speech with violence. The article calls for caution against adopting this theory, suggesting it dangerously blurs important distinctions and could undermine free-speech norms.