Hate Speech and Political Violence

This groundbreaking book shows how the Tea Party and its extremist narratives paved the way for the rise of Donald Trump, his MAGA movement, and the January 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol.

Brigitte L. Nacos is a political scientist who taught for three decades at Columbia University and the author of several books on terrorism and counterterrorism. She is also a journalist who worked for many years as U.S. correspondent for newspapers in Germany.

Yaeli Bloch-Elkon is a senior lecturer/associate professor of communications and political science and head of the International Communication program at Bar Ilan University, as well as an associate research scholar at Columbia University’s Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy.

Robert Y. Shapiro is the Wallace S. Sayre Professor of Government in the Department of Political Science and the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. The author of many books and academic articles, he received the 2022 Award for Exceptionally Distinguished Achievement from the American Association for Public Opinion Research.

Nacos, Bloch-Elkon, and Shapiro previously coauthored Selling Fear: Counterterrorism, the Media, and Public Opinion (2011).

Thomas E. Patterson, author of Is the Republican Party Destroying Itself?:
Beyond an insightful analysis of the Tea Party’s influence on Trump-era politics, this book illuminates the powerful new media dynamic—the nexus between mass communication, mass self-communication, and interpersonal communication. A must-read for anyone interested in politics or media.

Darrell West, author of Power Politics: Trump and the Assault on American Democracy:
This is a terrific book. The authors present a keen and persuasive analysis of the dangers of weaponized words during a volatile time in contemporary history. Everyone should heed their dire warnings about the dangers to American democracy.

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, coauthor of Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President What We Don't, Can't, and Do Know:
An eye-opening explication of a consequential period in recent history.

Thomas B. Edsall, columnist for the New York Times:
This groundbreaking book pinpoints the role of the Tea Party in paving the way for the rise of Donald Trump, his MAGA movement, and the January 6 insurrection. Hate Speech and Political Violence provides brilliant insight into the ever-growing threats facing American democracy.