Nicholas Decker, GMU Phd student at George Mason University Substack essay ‘When Must We Kill Them?’ leads to school officials calling law enforcement after the student demands that in certain instances the lethal use of violence is justified. Calls to ‘kill President Trump’ amid current controversy and upheaval leads to wide debate.
Define free speech? Define resistance? Define when should one resort to violence to resist tyranny?
A PhD student’s essay exploring when resistance to tyranny justifies the use of lethal force has led to secret service agents visiting the home of the student author.
Nicholas Decker, an economics major at George Mason University in Virginia, invoked the horror of school officials, when he published the essay on Substack, arguing that in certain circumstances the use of violence might be justified, and in particularly, when to ‘kill Trump’ amid the newly elected president‘s ongoing controversial policies, in order to ward of the threat of tyranny of democracy.
Just saw the original video
The Secret Service agent asks him if it came down to it, would you participate in any revolution, and he just straight up goes: “I hope I would have the courage to do so” 😭😭😭 omg https://t.co/eHDv61AFHt
— Basil🧡 (@LinkofSunshine) April 20, 2025
The day secret service agents came to pay GMU student a visit
The essay led to George Mason University condemning Decker’s essay about the Trump administration, leading to school officials referring the student to law enforcement.
In a post on X, Decker posted a photograph of his interaction with a secret service agent outside his home in Fairfax on Saturday.
‘Secret Service came by, and we had a lovely chat. Discussion touched on many points, with an amicable resolution of differences. Conduct is fully legal,’ he wrote in a post which has been viewed more than three million times.
The visit by secret service came just two days after Decker published an essay titled, ‘When Must We Kill Them?’ via Substack on April 16.
‘If the present administration chooses this course (of sweeping away courts and democracy), then the questions of the day can be settled not with legislation, but with blood and iron,’ Decker wrote in the blog post.
‘In short, we must decide when we must kill them. None of us wish for war, but if the present administration wishes to destroy the nation I would accept war rather than see it perish.’
His essay describes the Trump administration as ‘evil’ and ‘engaged in barbarism’ by ‘arbitrarily’ imprisoning opponents, revoking the visas of ‘thousands of students’ and imposing taxes ‘without the consent’ of the American people.
Notice of the controversial essay, which at no point outright called for imminent violence but only theoretically, nevertheless led to school officials condemning the student (so much for academic freedom one may wonder?) and reaching out to law enforcement.
When should a society resort to lethal violence against perceived tyranny?
‘George Mason University is aware of a recent essay published online by one of its students that has created concern,’ the institution said in a statement posted on X.
‘Upon learning of the essay, Mason Police referred the matter to state and federal law enforcement for evaluation of criminal behavior.
‘George Mason condemns this and all encouragements of violence. This is not the Mason way.’
Decker’s essay argues that protest is futile against what he calls the ‘beasts’ running the White House, so their political opposition must turn to more radical action.
The GMU student speculates that it ‘may be best to wait for elections to throw off this scourge’, but he is concerned that the administration would ‘engage in fraud in the electoral process’ and ‘jail its political adversaries’ making this impossible.
‘If (the current administration) should threaten the ability to remove it (by voting), we shall have no choice,’ Decker wrote.
‘We will have to do the right thing. We will have to prepare ourselves to die. I hope that we should conduct ourselves with such courage that it will be our finest hour; I expect that we shall do our duty.’
Decker edited his essay on Saturday in response to comments to say he believes that ‘violence is a last resort, not a first resort’.
‘It is to be employed only in defense of our Constitution, and of democracy. If it is resorted to, it must be narrowly targeted, and aimed only at extirpating those who have power, and are unjustly resisting giving it up,’ he wrote in the update according to the dailymail.
Posted Decker overnight on X: ‘Isn’t it crazy they put Hitler in jail for nine months after he attempted a coup, and they just let him out again? Thank goodness we wouldn’t make the same mistake though!’
The presence of secret service agents follows U.S Attorney General, Pam Bondi in recent days issuing a dictum that all ‘domestic terrorists’ would be harshly dealt with, in relation to the latest spate of fire bombings of Tesla car dealerships.
Over the weekend, a 20 year old student was arrested for setting fire to two Tesla Cybertrucks in defiance of CEO Elon Musk’s role within the Trump administration and in particularly him spearheading DOGE which has ransacked dozens of government departments and sought to limit the payment of social security, consumer protection agencies, and the dismantling of the federal education department amid claims it seeks to bring ‘efficiency and oversight’ to the executive level.
If convicted the student faces up to 20 years imprisonment. A similar fate might also await Decker or any other perceived agitator calling for violence against the state or symbols of the state. If not today. In months and years to come.
And then there were these comments on the web that caught this author’s attention, see what you think?
‘Seems like Decker’s not playing with a full deck. Doesn’t say much for the PhD program at Mason. We’d best keep an eye on him.’
‘The socially awkward and bitter WOkE crowd had a brief taste of institutional power, and they’re livid it’s going away.’
‘Another socialist learns making death threats will have consequences nowadays.’
‘There were no consequences because he didn’t make death threats. You need to work on your reading skills.’
‘The media and Democrats are complicit as they encourage this kind of lunacy by exaggerating everything and wailing that democracy is at stake with every little move that Trump makes.’
‘The thing that gets me is that this left wing individual is being praised by some on the radical left and ignored by the majority of the US media. However a similar paper or book by a right wing individual would be all over the US news. This is why i stopped watching the US media in regards to what is happening in America, they all spin the news. So for US news I watch or read German and Singaporean News. To those foreign source, we are just a weird story and they just do not spin it.’
‘Yet his mighty words frightened the fascist state.’
‘Hero!’
