US politicians from both sides of the aisle have called for a cooling of political violence after a shooting interrupted the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, DC on Saturday, which many saw as a symptom of increasing political polarization in the country.

"Violence is unacceptable. In moments like this, we are reminded that unity, civility and respect for one another matter more than ever," Republican Governor of Oklahoma Kevin Stitt and Democratic Governor Wes Moore of Maryland said in a statement.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said during a Monday news conference that, "Political violence in any form directed at anyone, whether that's the right, the left or the center, is not acceptable".

Some Republican officials blamed Democrats for inciting the political violence with "inflammatory rhetoric".

US President Donald Trump, in an interview with CBS 60 Minutes on Sunday, said that "I do think that the hate speech of the Democrats … is very dangerous."

Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters said the Saturday shooting was "the inevitable result of a radicalized left that has normalized political violence."

Civil leaders blamed political polarization for the increase in political violence.

Legal Defense Fund President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson issued a statement condemning "this act of horrifying violence."

"Hate and violence have grown in a climate of deepening polarization, divisive rhetoric, and increasing dehumanization and disrespect for those with differing views," she said. "We cannot normalize this dangerous rhetoric or the violence that too often follows. Whether directed at public officials, journalists, law enforcement, or the public, such acts threaten the core values of our democracy."

Republican Senator Thom Tillis from North Carolina said in a Sunday interview on NBC that the American people need to "take a breath, confirm their facts, talk to their elected officials, think a bit before they judge people."

"Our words matter. The weight of our words matters, and we need to be very measured in the way that we use them," he said.

The suspect in Saturday's shooting at the Washington Hilton, Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California was charged on Monday with attempted assassination of the president of the United States, interstate transportation of a firearm to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Allen, 31, is an independent video game developer and part-time tutor. A graduate of Caltech, he also earned a master's degree from California State University. His father is listed as an elder at Grace United Reformed Church in Torrance, and his mother is a teacher.

Allen wrote in a manifesto to justify his action that, "Turning the other cheek when *someone else* is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor's crimes."

Online comments revealed that Americans are worried about increasing political violence, and some said that the current administration was partially to blame.

They cited the administration's emotional violence against Greenland and Cuba, physical violence against Venezuela and Iran, and ICE violence against immigrants and its own citizens.

"The problem with using violence against your citizens, violence against immigrants, violence against those you don't like, and violence to solve international problems, is that others begin to believe that violence is the way to solve problems," wrote a reader of The New York Times.

"Violence begets violence. And there has been no administration more aggressive, unlawful, and violent in my lifetime than this one. I am not surprised at this attack. I am surprised there have not been more," another NYT reader wrote.

A Wall Street Journal reader said that Allen bought into "the dehumanization and demonization of President Trump by the mainstream media and the radical voices in the Democratic party for the past 10 years."

Some Americans see the Saturday shooting just as another such public shooting that happens daily in the US.

"The difference is that people, unlike the cabinet, don't have security details to protect them," wrote another WSJ reader

According to 2025 data gathered by The Trace, more than 110 people were shot every day on average in the US, excluding suicides.

A poll by Pew Research Center released in October showed that 85 percent of polled Americans said politically motivated violence is increasing.

About 53 percent of Americans blamed it on the left wing, 52 percent on the right wing, and 47 percent on "people without clear political views".

About 28 percent of Democrats said the rhetoric or behavior of Trump, the MAGA movement or conservatives was a reason for recent politically motivated violence, while 16 percent of Republicans said it's due to the rhetoric and behavior of liberals or Democrats.

Last October, a PBS News/NPR/Marist poll showed that 30 percent of Americans said that people may have to resort to violence in order to get the country back on track. That's an 11 percent increase over 18 months ago.