A PhD student studying economics at George Mason University was visited by the Secret Service after publishing a viral essay that questioned when it would be time to “kill” the Trump administration.
“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,” writes Nicholas Decker. “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.”
After the essay—titled “When Must We Kill Them?”—sparked backlash online, Decker added a note stating that “violence is a last resort, not a first resort.”
“It must come after the exhaustion of all possible remedy,” he added. “It is not, moreover, appropriate for decisions which are merely unwise or disastrous. 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.”
In a statement on X, George Mason University said it condemned Decker’s writing and had “referred the matter to state and federal law enforcement for evaluation of criminal behavior.”
Now, Decker is once again going viral for sharing his experience with the Secret Service agents who paid him a visit because of the essay.
“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 that racked up more than three million views.
He also shared a screenshot of security camera footage showing him standing on his lawn with Secret Service agents in response to a “pics or it didn’t happen” demand.
— Nicholas Decker(@captgouda24) April 18, 2025
Decker’s writing, which includes a handful of themes and quotes from the Declaration of Independence, is still dividing the internet.
After posting that authorities agreed his writing was protected under the First Amendment (abstract calls for violence are protected), right-wingers in his comment section mocked him for not being a real threat.
“They told you it’s legal to roleplay on the internet once you admitted you didn’t mean the things you say,” blasted one person.
“So you pissed your pants, recanted your beliefs and apologized so profusely, they realized you are the pussy you are. Good to know,” claimed someone else.
“You are insane. A sociopath. You are on their radar. It’s a shame that they didn’t put you in an institution,” decried another critic.
But Decker has attracted far more than a few supporters for not backing down—even from left-wingers who say they ordinarily disagree with Decker’s views.
“I disagree with Nicholas on quite a lot (and he unfollowed me lol) but he demonstrated a lot of courage in saying something very controversial, sticking to his beliefs even when faced with intimidation and secret service confrontation, and most important, didn’t whine about the negative consequences of his speech, knowing he would get a lot of blowback, and I think it’s quite commendable,” praised one account.
“ive never respected a liberal before but i might have to,” quipped someone else.
“I don’t exactly like the neolib brain disease guy but I can’t not admit he’s pretty cool,” echoed another X user.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
