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This year may have barely begun, but it has already witnessed many threats to President Donald Trump and members of his administration.
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Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024, and he faced another serious assassination attempt in West Palm Beach, Florida, two months later. The first assassin died in the attempt, and a judge sentenced Ryan Routh, 59, to life in prison plus 84 months last week for the second attempt.
Two events last year highlighted the rise of political violence on the left: the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and the comments of Democrat Jay Jones, who now serves as Virginia’s attorney general, wishing for the death of his political opponents. (Jones apologized for the comments after National Review exposed them.)
A judge sentenced Jauan Rashun Porter, 30, to more than three years in prison Tuesday for transmitting threats to kill Trump last summer. Porter allegedly said on TikTok that “there’s only one way to make America great and that is putting a bullet in between Trump’s eyes.”
Earlier this year, defendants have allegedly threatened Trump, key administration officials, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Here’s the list of arrests so far this year, for threats made both this year and late last year.
1. Threat to JD Vance
Secret Service agents arrested Shannon Mathre, 33, on Friday. A grand jury indicted Mathre on charges of threatening to take the life of a successor to the presidency, namely Vice President JD Vance.
“I am going to find out where he [Vance] is going to be and use my M14 automatic gun and kill him,” Mathre allegedly stated.
“Our attorneys are vigorously prosecuting this disgusting threat against Vice President Vance,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said. “You can hide behind a screen, but you cannot hide from this Department of Justice.”
2. Vandalizing Vance’s Home
A federal grand jury charged William DeFoor, 26, with damaging government property; engaging in physical violence against a person in a restricted building; and assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers for his invasion of Vance’s home in Cincinnati on Jan. 5.
DeFoor allegedly used a hammer to break glass, ignored repeated warnings to stop, and attempted to flee on foot.
3. Another Vance Threat
Authorities arrested Marco Antonio Aguayo, 22, of Anaheim, California, last month for posting death threats on Instagram against Vance during Vance’s visit to Disneyland last year.
4. Threat to Russ Vought
Arlington County police arrested Colin Demarco, 26, on Jan. 22, for attempting to murder Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought.
Demarco went to Vought’s Northern Virginia home on Aug. 10. He faces charges of attempted murder and carrying a firearm without a permit, along with the unlawful wearing of a mask, NBC News reported.
5. Antifa Member Threatening ICE Agents
Authorities arrested Kyle Wagner, 37, on federal threat and cyberstalking charges last week. He allegedly threatened to assault and murder ICE agents. A resident of Minneapolis, Wagner reportedly identified himself with Antifa.
“This man allegedly doxed and called for the murder of law enforcement officers, encouraged bloodshed in the streets, and proudly claimed affiliation with the terrorist organization Antifa before going on the run,” Bondi, the attorney general, said.
6. Threats to Federal Agents
Authorities charged Taylor Ryan Prigmore, 30, with threatening to kill federal agents in an indictment handed down last month.
“I am preparing physically and mentally to kill federal agents,” Prigmore allegedly stated in a YouTube video. “Our presidents [sic] needs to die to save lives.”
7. Threats to FBI Director Kash Patel
A grand jury indicted Oklahoma man Jacob Wray Hudson last month on threats against a federal law enforcement officer and interstate communications with threats to injure others.
Muskogee, Oklahoma, police say Hudson yelled about wanting to kill Trump and “the Jews.” According to court documents, Hudson admitted to threatening FBI Director Kash Patel and Patel’s girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, on Instagram. “You’re both gonna be publicly executed for hurting kids,” he posted.
8. Threatening Trump and ICE Agents
A federal grand jury indicted Francisco Jesus Mena, 36, earlier this month on charges of threatening a federal official. Mena, a resident of North Richland Hills, Texas, allegedly threatened to assault and murder Trump and unnamed ICE agents. If convicted, he faces up to 96 years in prison.
9. Threatening Trump on Shotgun Shells
Police in Portland, Oregon, shot and killed a man who had written Trump’s name on shotgun shells and who had falsely identified himself as a Secret Service officer before pulling out a gun at a Safeway location. Police said the man pulled the trigger at Safeway, but the gun did not fire.
“Because of the U.S. Secret Service angel, the fact that he was impersonating an agent, the fact that there was a potential threat to the president … that prompted them to bring in the Secret Service as part of the investigation,” a Portland Police Bureau spokesperson said.
10. Threatening to Kill ICE Agents
West Virginia State Police arrested Cody Smith, 20, last month after he allegedly “posted videos of himself” saying he was “going to attack and kill ICE agents” in calls to the Department of Homeland Security.
Deputies said Smith “made threats to the president of the United States” and posted that he “intended to ‘murder’ Trump supporters” and “service members willing to ‘bootlick,’” according to a criminal complaint.
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This article was originally published at The Daily Signal. Photo Credit: Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok.
