Two violent attacks rooted in right-wing extremism have struck the United States in the span of a single week. The incidents, one in Wisconsin and one in Pennsylvania, are painful proof that politically motivated violence from the far right continues to be an active and underestimated threat.
In Waukesha, Wisconsin, authorities arrested 17-year-old Nikita Casap after the murders of his mother and stepfather. What began as a domestic homicide investigation soon revealed a larger and even more chilling plot. The teenager had not only killed his parents but intended to use their financial resources to fund a plan to assassinate President Donald Trump. Casap left behind a manifesto soaked in neo-Nazi ideology and references to white supremacist groups. The FBI also uncovered evidence that he had secured drones and explosives, suggesting he intended to use weapons of mass destruction to advance his political agenda.
Casap’s writings connected him to the Order of Nine Angles, an extremist network that merges Nazi beliefs with occult practices. His case highlights how young, isolated individuals are increasingly radicalized by white supremacist content online and pushed toward political violence. Law enforcement has confirmed that the plot was well beyond the planning stage and that the teenager had both the intent and the means to carry it out.
In Pennsylvania, the Governor’s Mansion was the target of another attack. On April 13, 38-year-old Cody Balmer threw Molotov cocktails at the residence of Governor Josh Shapiro, setting fire to the south wing of the historic property while the governor and his family were inside. Balmer was arrested at the scene and now faces charges of attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson, and assault. The governor and his family were unharmed, but the attack caused serious damage to the home and has raised alarms across the country.
Balmer’s motive, like Casap’s, appears to be deeply rooted in political rage. Authorities reported that Balmer had long held anti-government beliefs, as well as financial grievances after losing his home to foreclosure. His social media presence revealed a stew of right-wing conspiracies and anti-establishment rhetoric. The attack was premeditated and designed not only to cause harm but to send a political message.
Neither of these incidents happened in isolation. Both reflect the ongoing radicalization of individuals drawn to extremist beliefs and driven to violence. What makes this week’s events more alarming is how closely they follow patterns described by national security experts more than a decade ago. In 2009, the Department of Homeland Security issued a warning about the growing threat of right-wing domestic terrorism in the United States.
That report, titled Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment, was prepared during the George W. Bush administration and published shortly after President Obama was sworn in. The document warned that veterans, economic hardship, racial tensions, and political polarization were feeding a rise in violent right-wing extremism. The backlash from Republicans at the time was swift and fierce. Conservative media and lawmakers attacked the report as an insult to veterans and an attempt to smear conservatives. The political pressure was so intense that the Obama administration effectively retracted the report and shut down the DHS unit that had written it.
History has now proven that report correct. From the Charleston church massacre to the Tree of Life synagogue shooting, from the January 6 attack on the Capitol to this month’s violence in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, the warning signs that were ignored have played out with tragic precision. The political outrage that buried the 2009 report gave cover to extremists and slowed efforts to confront the threat.
The lesson is painfully clear. Right-wing political violence is not an isolated problem and it is not new. It is a threat that has been known, named, and repeatedly underestimated. The events in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are not the beginning of something, but the continuation of a threat America chose to ignore.
