Political violence strikes yet again in America with an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate narrowly avoiding serious injury at that rally Saturday in Pennsylvania.

We're clear, we're clear, we're clear.

While it's not the first time a president or presidential candidate has been the target of political violence, it's been decades since such a high-profile attempt.

In 1963, President John F.

Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas while riding in a motorcade.

Two priests who were with President Kennedy say he is dead.

His brother, Robert Kennedy, shot and killed five years later in 1968 while campaigning for president.

Then, 13 years after that, in 1981, there was the attempted assassination on President Ronald Reagan.

In recent years, politicians on both sides of the aisle have also been the target of attacks, like Democratic Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was shot in 2011, and Republican Congressman Steve Scalise, who was shot at a congressional baseball team practice in 2017.

Since then, the divisive political climate has escalated even more, leading to the 2020 plot to kill Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the 2022 attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, and the arrest of a man who was allegedly attempting to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh that same year.

I cannot condone this.

Both Republicans and Democrats are condemning the attack on Mr. Trump, but the incident only punctuating concerns about a growing support for political violence.

A recent PBS NPR Marist poll found one in five Americans think violence might be necessary to get the country back on track.

Last summer, Tucker Carlson asked former President Trump whether he was concerned about violence against him.

Are you worried that they're gonna try and kill you?

Why wouldn't they try and kill you, honestly?

They're savage animals.

They are people that are sick, really sick.

But I've seen what they do.

I've seen the lengths that they go to.

Following Saturday's assassination attempt, well-known political scientist Ian Bremmer expressing concern that what happened in Pennsylvania could lead to even more violence.

This is a very grave turn of events in a country that is very deeply polarized, and I deeply worry that it presages much more political violence and social instability.

A dangerous reckoning in America now reaching a boiling point.

And again, guys, in recent years, extremism experts have been warning that the country's increasing polarization will lead to more political violence.

Now, according to the Combating Terrorism Network, a review of cases over the last year, guys, shows that the number of federal charges relating to threatening public officials has jumped sharply and is on track to hit new record highs.

Savannah and Willie.

Yeah, and the FBI's been saying that again and again.

Liz Kreutz with a look back.

Liz, thanks so much.