“When it happens,” it will be a day of liberation. “When it happens,” there will be regional retreats and witchy celebrations nationwide. “When it happens,” there will be cookouts and singing in the streets. “When it happens, I’m gonna take the day off work. Maybe the whole week off. And then I’m gonna take off every single year.”

After reading those lines, many people might be wondering, “When WHAT happens?” Sadly, these are all responses to the latest TikTok viral trend where users ponder, “What will you do after the assassination of President Trump, Elon Musk, or any political leader, billionaire, celebrity, or influential personality you don’t like?” Simply fill in the blank with the person you feel is most deserving of death. While this horrible question is never definitively stated in the trending posts, it’s an unspoken understanding among those who identify with the assassination culture movement.

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How Did We Get Here?

Some are puzzled about how we arrived at this moment in history. And still, as a society that worships death, is it really that unbelievable when social media erupts with comments praising vigilante killings, or when American citizens call for violence against political rivals?

Many assassination enthusiasts brag that they will blast the song Ding Dong the Witch is Dead “when it happens,” or they will serve celebratory cake and wine, but what will they do when they stand before the King of Kings one day? When that happens, they will be forced to see the truth that assassination is not justice and murder should never be sanctioned and glorified.

While it may seem that assassination culture jumped onto the scene out of nowhere, the truth is that it’s been hiding in plain sight for decades. It echoes in the shouts of women who praise their abortions. It snarls in the violent movies that Americans watch, and laughs during the gory video games played by our nation’s youth. It applauds when the educational system assassinates the identities of children through gender confusion. It revels when governments decry that the carbon footprint of a single human life is a significant threat to the planet. It cackles when humans are hacked by artificial intelligence and seduced by social media. This type of thinking not only influences our country’s citizens, but it also fuels a culture of death.

Promoting Assassination is no Longer Taboo

The attempted assassination of President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, brought the assassination culture into the light, showcasing the callousness of public leaders.

Colorado Democratic Representative Steven Woodrow posted this disturbing message on his X account shortly after the incident. “The last thing America needed was sympathy for the devil but here we are.” Democratic Tennessee Senator London Lamar blamed “extremism from the MAGA regime” for the attempted assassination. A congressional staffer of Democratic Representative Bennie Thompson tried to poke fun in a Facebook post by saying, “I don’t condone violence, but please get you some shooting lessons so you don’t miss next time. Oops, that wasn’t me talking.”

Recently, the Network Contagion Research Institute released a report that revealed that left-wing authoritarianism has given rise to a “warped sense of social justice” where assassinations are amplified and glorified. NCRI’s survey of more than 1,200 adults showed that 38% of respondents said it would be “somewhat justified” to murder President Trump. When considering left-leaning respondents, “justification for killing Trump rose to 55%.” The report’s lead author, Joel Finkelstein, stated, “Trump represents the perfect target for assassination culture. He’s powerful, he’s rich and he’s provocative.”

Elon Musk has also been the target of assassination culture with posts and videos comparing him to Hitler. As head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), he has drawn the ire of a unified hate campaign that rages against him. Waves of attacks on Tesla vehicles have been encouraged by left-leaning leaders who insist that Musk is a threat to democracy. To them, saving money for U.S. taxpayers is a crime that must be punished instead of praised.

Vigilante Murder Uplifted

The killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024 resulted in a “surge of highly engaged posts across social media, glorifying the incident, some even calling for additional acts of violence, generating impressions in the tens of millions.” NCRI’s recent Contagion and Ideology Report explained, “A top ten most engaged post referencing the incident on Twitter/X, stated, ‘Are we starting now then,’ likely in reference to the beginning of a larger movement, garnered over 1.8 million impressions, with highly engaged comments referencing a ‘Class War.’” Other popular posts on social media platforms such as Bluesky, Twitter/X, TikTok, and Telegram featured content suggesting “other corporate figures should fear for their own lives.”

In the twisted world of assassination culture, the killer of Brian Thompson is congratulated rather than condemned. Memes of the murderer, Luigi Mangione, liken him to a comic book hero who made America a better place. The hashtag “Eat the Rich” surged on social media, as well as wanted posters of CEOs after the killing.

Supporters of Mangione committed copycat attacks to emulate their folk hero. In one incident, the president of a company was stabbed at a staff meeting while the perpetrator smiled in his police photographs. In another, a Goldman Sachs executive’s home in New York City was vandalized with the words “Free Luigi.”

What do these vicious attacks and the elevation of the assassination culture reveal about the spiritual state of our nation? More importantly, where are we headed if this trend continues?

Satan Has Been an Assassin from the Beginning

Firstly, we must understand that these trends and movements do not form in a vacuum. There must be a catalyst driving them forward. Enter Satan, the prince of the power of the air. His name means “adversary” or “one who opposes.” His goal is to sow discord, steal, destroy, and murder. He will use deception, accusation, temptation, and division to accomplish his plans. As intercessors, we are called to interrupt and dismantle those plans as we clothe ourselves with the armor of God and petition the Most High for His help in the battle.

A recent thwarted assassination plot had Satan’s fingerprints written all over it. According to federal investigators, a Wisconsin teen who murdered his mother and stepfather was planning to use their money to assassinate President Trump. The New York Post reported, “Nikita Casap, 17, was arrested in March and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of hiding a corpse after killing his mother, Tatiana Casap, 35, and stepfather, Donald Mayer, 51, in their Waukesha home — then stashing their bullet-riddled bodies under blankets for weeks.”

Unsealed records revealed that Casap was the member of a satanic, neo-Nazi cult known as the Order of the Nine Angles. A BBC article explains that the short-term goal of this cult is to “undermine what it caricatures as a decadent Judeo-Christian society, with an emphasis placed on real-world acts, the aim being a new imperial civilization based on a cruel mixture of Social Darwinism, Satanism, and Fascism.” Documents found at the crime scene reference a self-described manifesto, which articulated “a call to assassinate President Trump, make and detonate bombs and carry out other terrorist attacks….to start a political revolution and promote white supremacy.”

A Hex the Fascists campaign on social media hosted by Druids for Change and Pro Choice People of Utah, invited users to a rally at the Utah State Capitol on March 15, 2025 where they could bring their “rage, power, energy, herbs, crystals and vibes” to an “LGBTQ safe space.” A user who posted about the event stated: “We’re hexing fascists on Saturday and I’ll be closing the ritual with a Curse for the Oppressor, a curse I wrote over a year ago which has only become more and more relevant since then. I will not remain a passive spectator in my own government’s cruelty. I will not watch my leaders thoughtlessly sign execution orders for thousands of our own children, trans citizens, disabled citizens, women, and citizens of color and do nothing but worry until the next election rolls around. I will not sit idly by as my family and neighbors are tricked into facilitating their own destruction by a hostile regime whose only priorities are profit and power.”

A Road to Death

Many paths have led to this deadly road called assassination culture. Whether it’s the murder of innocent babies or the growing transhumanist belief that humans are insignificant, there is something devastatingly wrong in the minds and souls of many Americans. When society attacks the identity of our youth, as well as the biblical foundations of our families and governmental systems, they are undermining the very humanity that God blessed His creation with from the beginning.

As intercessors, we are not bystanders who should stand by idly as our values and beliefs are assassinated in front of our eyes. Prayer is the weapon the Lord has forged for us to use in such times.

How Can We Combat the Assassination Culture?

1. Our nation is steeped in violence, from the games our children play to the movies and social media videos many Americans watch. Pray that parents, caregivers, and citizens would turn off TVs, phones, and devices so they can engage their loved ones in true connection with Godly-centered activities.
2. During the COVID pandemic, which unleashed draconian mandates on society, our nation experienced a surge in depression and rage, which became hyper-focused on “social” causes. Pray that Jesus would bring revival and healing to the hearts of those dealing with intense anger and thoughts of revenge.
3. The rise of artificial intelligence, transhumanism, and evolutionary thinking has created an ideology that sees humans as insignificant and void of a divine Creator. Pray for a shift in this thinking so people yearn to connect with Jesus Christ rather than technology.
4. Our nation’s youth (and even adults) face an “identity” crisis. Instead of knowing they are made in the image of God, many are looking to social media, warped educational teachings, and the ever-changing culture to tell them who they are. Pray that God would break down these strongholds and that strong Christian role models would rise up and become the new influencers in society.
5. Our government leaders are not immune to assassination culture, as many left-leaning leaders seem to condone violent words and actions. Pray that righteous leaders and government officials would come against those who promote this twisted ideology.

Lord Jesus, you died on the cross so that we could have life and live it abundantly. As intercessors and doers of the Word, help us eliminate this culture of death that has gained a foothold in our nation.

How have you seen assassination culture playing out in society today? How are you praying about it?

Angela Rodriguez is an author, blogger, and former teacher who studies the signs of the times, as well as the historical and biblical connections between Israel and the United States. You can visit her blogs at 67owls.comand 100trumpets.com. She is also the author of Psalm 91: Under the Wings of Jesus and Hallelujah’s Great Ride. Photo Credit: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images.