“Civil War” Worry Surges In New York After Assassination

Civil War talk skyrocketed after Charlie Kirk’s assassination. New York Gov. Hochul and New York leaders just held an emergency meeting in response.

Governor Kathy Hochul gathered with elected leaders to stand against political violence in all its forms following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Hochul And Top Leaders In New York Meet After Charlie Kirk's Murder

Hochul met in Albany with a bipartisan group of elected leaders to highlight a shared commitment to standing against political violence and bringing down the temperature on inflammatory rhetoric.

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“I convened a bipartisan group of leaders to discuss what is truly necessary in this moment: reducing the temperature of inflammatory rhetoric that leads to violence and ensuring our communities are safe and tolerant places for all," Hochul stated.

Hochul says America needs a cooling of the political climate in the United States, adding that while Republicans and Democrats can debate their differences, they can do so without demeaning one another.

"We can debate our differences without demeaning each other," she added. “Incidents of political violence in America are not isolated, and here in New York, we are advancing the critical conversation addressing the disturbing rise of these political attacks,” Governor Hochul said.

Current Threats Discussed

The bipartisan group received a briefing from the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services about the current threat environment.

Current threats include:

• After the assassination of Charlie Kirk, online calls for “Civil War” skyrocketed. Mentions jumped from under 50,000 to more than 200,000 in just two days.
• Over the last decade, anti-government violence has exploded. In 2014, none of those attacks were partisan. By 2024, more than half were.
• A staggering 26 percent of Americans — nearly 70 million people — now say political violence is sometimes justified. That’s not fringe anymore.
• Lone wolves and small groups are fueling America’s new wave of extremist violence. They’re often driven by politics, ideology, or personal grudges.
• Most are radicalized online, where propaganda and misinformation spread nonstop in both extremist corners and mainstream spaces. That toxic mix pushes some to act.
• The data shows many attackers copycat previous killers or react to breaking news. They tend to strike soft targets with weapons that are cheap and easy to get.

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"Political violence is preventable, and today’s meeting shows that bipartisan political cooperation can send a message that political violence is unacceptable," Hochul's office told Hudson Valley Post in a press release.

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