The horrendous killing of the far-right activist Charlie Kirk has been met with calming, statesman-like responses on both sides of the political aisle. Trump has been signaling for a decade or so that political violence committed by his supporters is acceptable and might even be rewarded. But Trump and many of his acolytes frame such conduct not as violence, but as legitimate, even patriotic, self-defense; like other right-wing populists, they portray themselves as perpetual victims. While Trump’s first term featured ostentatious displays of cruelty, his administration is now devoting significant resources to creating a cult of violence. But surveys show that an overwhelming majority oppose political violence; and, as the political scientist Brendan Nyhan has reminded us, support for such violence declined after the attempt on Trump’s life in July 2024.