NC lawmaker calls for Trump’s beheading
North Carolina state Rep. Julie von Haefen (D) has deleted her social media account amid accusations that she called for the beheading of President Trump.
On Saturday, Von Haefen posted a Facebook Reel containing a picture of a woman holding a sign that read: “In these difficult times, some cuts are necessary.” The sign featured an image of a guillotine with blood pooled around the base. The poster hung from a pole, on which hung two severed heads. On one end hung a head made to resemble President Trump, streaked with fake blood. On the other end hung a head that appeared to resemble Elon Musk with a swastika drawn on the forehead.
“No Kings protest in Raleigh,” von Haefen captioned the picture. “Amazing turnout all across the Triangle today, including this event at the Capitol hosted by @wakedems and @ncdemocrats.”
The backlash included calls for von Haefen’s resignation and outrage from other North Carolina legislators.
“We are calling on the resignation of Wake Democrat Rep Julie von Haefen. There is no place for promoting political violence,” said the GOP chapter in Wake County, North Carolina.
“In NC Dem Rep Julie Von Haefen calls for the beheading of the US President. These Libs have lost their mind. The nation is NOT behind them,” said Republican state Rep. Greg Murphy on X, requoting a post that said: “In the last six months leftists have: -Murdered a healthcare CEO -Murdered two Israeli diplomats -Murdered a State Rep. in Minnesota -Firebombed Tesla dealerships -Firebombed Jewish demonstrators -Burned Los Angeles. Which side is extremist, again?”
The Left’s assassination culture
These incidents, including von Haefen’s post, are in keeping with what researchers call an “assassination culture” on the Left.
A recent survey conducted by the Network of Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) and Rutgers University’s Social Perception Lab found that as much as 55% of those who self-identify as Leftists said it would at least be somewhat justified to assassinate President Donald Trump or Elon Musk. These findings correlate with the Left’s celebration of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s assassination in December, as well as the attempt on Trump’s life on July 13th.
“This report points to disturbingly high levels of support for political violence, particularly targeting President Donald Trump and Elon Musk,” the authors wrote. “Across survey responses, nearly one-third of respondents—and a significantly higher share of left-leaning respondents—expressed some degree of justification for acts of lethal violence.”
Respondents were also asked whether violent attacks on Tesla dealerships are justified to protest Elon Musk. Forty percent said such attacks are at least somewhat acceptable, according to The Federalist.
“These attitudes are not fringe — they reflect an emergent assassination culture, grounded in far-left authoritarianism and increasingly normalized in digital discourse,” said the report. “The reports found widespread justification for lethal violence — including assassination — among younger, highly online, and ideologically left-aligned users,” the authors added.
The report also found that the social media platform BlueSky plays a major role in fomenting and amplifying the Left’s “radical ideation.” Leftists flocked to BlueSky after Trump’s victory in November to supposedly escape the “extremism” on Musk’s X.
“The findings signal a threat to political stability and public safety,” warned the authors, concluding: “Unless political and cultural leadership explicitly confronts and condemns this trend, NCRI assesses a growing probability of real-world escalation. Given the current economic volatility and institutional distrust, the online normalization of political violence may increasingly translate into offline action.”
