Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he was not surprised by the apparent assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump on Sunday, one day after the two spoke together at a Salt Lake City fundraiser.
Cox decried the rise in threats of political violence across the country, including in Utah, and said he was "deeply disturbed" by the second attempt on Trump's life in as many months, during his monthly PBS news conference on Thursday.
"(I'm) concerned about our country right now — the extremes that we're seeing in political discourse that is leading, of course, to political violence," Cox said.
His remarks came as news broke that an Alaska man was arrested for investigation of threatening to assassinate six members of the U.S. Supreme Court and kill their family members.
Political violence by the numbers
Cox cited reports showing that threats against members of Congress have increased tenfold over the last several years, jumping from 900 in 2016 to nearly 4,000 in the first year of the Trump presidency, to over 9,600 in 2021 following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
The number of United States Capitol Police threat assessment cases fell to 7,500 in 2022 and rose again to 8,000 in 2023, the agency reported. Cox also mentioned an increase in serious threats against federal judges across the country — rising from 179 in 2019 to 457 in 2023. More than 40% of state legislators have experienced direct threats over the past three years, according to one national survey.
There has also been a "significant increase in threats of violence" against Utah officials, Cox said, including to himself and his family, and against lawmakers and judges. As of July 15, the Utah Statewide Information and Analysis Center had recorded 73 threat incidents toward Utah elected officials in 2024. Despite only covering 7½ months of the year, this total far exceeds the 49 threats recorded in 2023 and the 55 incidents recorded in 2022 and 2021.
Utah state Sen. Mike Kennedy, R-Alpine, who is the current GOP nominee for the 3rd Congressional District, experienced a threat of political violence firsthand in 2023 after he sponsored a bill banning child transgender treatments. The lawmaker's home was vandalized with red spray paint across his garage doors, walls and driveway conveying a threatening message.
The Utah Senate referred to the event in a comment given to the Deseret News through a communications director.
"Unfortunately, in recent years, we have seen a rise in threats, highlighted by incidents such as the vandalism of Sen. Kennedy's home," the statement said. "We work closely with the Utah Highway Patrol to address issues and threats toward lawmakers. Additionally, we encourage everyone to share their views through constructive channels, fostering a culture of productive dialogue rather than resorting to threats or political violence."
'Disagree Better'
An increase in political violence is an expected outcome of increasing political division and violent rhetoric, according to Cox.
"I don't think we should be surprised to see this happening, but that doesn't mean that we should accept it," Cox said.
Cox called on Utahns, particularly those in positions of influence, to use their "platforms at every opportunity ... to ask people to engage in a better way, to engage in a more productive way, to remember how to disagree without the hate and contempt, and certainly to push back anytime there is violence, and to do that across party lines as well."
From July 2023 to July 2024, Cox promoted his "Disagree Better" initiative as chairman of the National Governors Association. The effort to decrease political polarization featured bipartisan ads with over 20 governors, trainings on healthy political dialogue and presentations on political violence.
In a story first reported by the Deseret News, Cox said he intends to continue "Disagree Better" as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to function as a "convener," bringing depolarization research, bridge-building institutions and concerned citizens seeking to improve the quality of American politics all under one umbrella.
Cox endorses Trump
The day after a gunman nearly killed the Republican nominee for president in July, Cox decided to break with his longtime refusal to support Trump in his election campaigns. The governor wrote Trump a letter promising his help (including his vote) and expressing hope that Trump would use the opportunity to unify the country.
"I made a commitment at that time, and I remain true to this, that I'm going to do everything I can to help our country be better, to help reduce this rhetoric and the violence that we're seeing," Cox said at the Thursday press conference.
When asked on Thursday whether he thought Trump had changed, Cox said he was "hopeful" after a "short conversation" he had with the former president on Saturday, when Trump held a fundraiser in a hangar at the Salt Lake City International Airport.
"I also don't believe that I'm important enough that President Trump is going to change or do things differently just because of me. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to try," Cox said. "Everybody can judge for themselves what's happening and what he's doing, but I am hopeful, and I have to be optimistic, and I will remain optimistic, and I'm going to do everything I can to help him and others to try to bring our country together."
Cox took it as a positive sign that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both called Trump following the assassination attempt on Sunday. "We need more of that," Cox said.
