Second American Civil War

Not to be confused with American Revolutionary War.

The January 6 United States Capitol attack has been largely called a coup d'état, and a turning point in United States political violence.

The Second American Civil War, also known as the Second American Revolution, is a hypothetical inter-United States conflict that gained traction prior to and following the 2024 United States presidential election, where president-elect Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris. A poll conducted in June of 2024 by Rasmussen Reports showed that of 1,000 surveyed voters, 31% stated that a "civil war is likely within the next year".

It was largely speculated that a civil war between Republican-aligned voters and Democrat-aligned voters may have broke out if Donald Trump lost the presidential election, and speculations about a possible civil war remain after the election.

Background

See also: Political violence in the 2024 United States presidential election

In July of 2024, Donald Trump was the target of an attempted assassination by Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was a Republican voter at the time of the attack. In September of the same year, Ryan Wesley Routh allegedly attempted to assassinate Donald Trump. Both events sparked political tension, and highlighted the potential rise in political violence that the United States may experience in the following years.

History

George Floyd protests

Main article: George Floyd protests

The George Floyd protests, which were sparked after the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, were a natiionwide of political polarization between left-wing and right-wing voters that caused divide within the United States.

2021 Capitol attack

Main article: January 6 United States Capitol attack

The January 6, 2021 failed coup d'état targeting the United States Capitol has been called the "opening battle of a civil war" by experts and people who were involved in the attack.

2024 election

Concerns about a civil war arising out of political violence were heightened in the days leading up to, and after, the 2024 presidential election. Journalist Bill Robinson stated that "It’s a horrendous possibility, because it looks like there’s no other option than some kind of extreme unrest". The concerns and reasons for post-election violence have been called "varied", but one of the largest reasons for concern was the challenging of election results by either party and electoral fraud.

Studies

Several opinion polls and studies have been carried out on the topic of a potential civil war, many of which focus on political influences contributing to a future conflict. A monitor poll conducted by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights of 1,000 voters showed that 73% of those asked stated that political violence is a large concern, and 52% of the respondents states that they were worried about white nationalism arising after the election. An October 2024 poll conducted by The Times of 1,266 registered voters showed that 27% of them were highly concerned about political violence, and that 87% of surveyed voters stated that the United States was more politically divided than it was 10 years prior.

See also

• World War III