Donald Trump’s response to the killing of Charlie Kirk demonstrates how political violence can be reframed as partisan accusation. Before investigators had identified a suspect or established a motive, Trump declared the “radical left” responsible. He argued that progressives who compared conservative figures to Nazis had created a climate in which violence became likely. He then referred to “these terrorists.” The progression from political rhetoric to the language of terrorism illustrates how partisan categories are fused with terms normally reserved for organized violence.

Modern states enforce vast bodies of law. Much of this law regulates conduct that is technical rather than plainly harmful. Citizens face statutes written in complex language, enforced through procedures few understand. Within this structure, mistakes are inevitable. What matters is not whether errors occur, but how authorities choose to respond.

A police state’s essence is not constant visible repression, but the slow normalization of extraordinary powers until they become routine tools of governance, accepted without question.