North Carolina State Representative Julie von Haefen, a Democrat from Wake County, is under fire after posting a video on social media featuring a protester’s sign at a Raleigh “No Kings” rally on June 14, 2025. The sign depicted a guillotine with a prop resembling President Donald Trump’s severed head, captioned, “In these difficult times, some cuts may be necessary.” The post, which also showed a head with a swastika, sparked immediate outrage, with the North Carolina Republican Party and House Speaker Destin Hall demanding her resignation for promoting political violence. The timing, hours after a deadly shooting of Minnesota lawmakers, intensified the criticism.
Von Haefen quickly deleted the video and her X account, later issuing an apology on Facebook, calling the image “inappropriate” and condemning all political violence. She clarified she was not the sign’s creator and edited the video to remove it, but critics, including Representative Erin Paré, dismissed her apology as insincere, accusing her of glorifying violence against Trump. The scandal has fueled calls for a Secret Service investigation and potential legal consequences, with some Republicans citing it as evidence of Democratic extremism.
Democrats, led by party chair Anderson Clayton, accused the GOP of exploiting the incident to distract from their agenda, pointing to past Republican rhetoric. The controversy, amid heightened national tensions, underscores the volatile state of political discourse as both sides grapple with accusations of inciting violence.
