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Left: Donald Trump speaks at the annual Road to Majority conference in Washington, DC, in June 2024 (Allison Bailey/NurPhoto via AP). Right: Cody Smith (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement).
A man from West Virginia is facing serious accusations after allegedly making violent threats against former President Donald Trump. According to federal prosecutors, Cody Smith, 20, reportedly sent a series of alarming messages to Donald Trump Jr., detailing a plan to harm the former president. In these messages, Smith is said to have described how he would cut Trump’s “jugular” and watch “the life” fade from his “pathetic eyes.” Additionally, Smith allegedly posted a music track ominously titled, “I Am Going to Kill the President.”
In an Instagram post where both Trump and his son were tagged, Smith reportedly wrote, “I will kill you[r] b— a— dad.” This disturbing message was part of his federal indictment.
The threats did not stop there. Smith is accused of sending a direct message to Trump Jr., threatening, “I’m going to rape your worthless father … with his jugular cut while the life leaves his pathetic eyes.”
As a result of these threats, Smith faces multiple charges, including two counts of threats to murder the president, and one count each for influencing and retaliating against federal officials by threat of murder. This is according to a statement from the Justice Department.
Earlier this year, Smith was arrested on charges of making terroristic threats against Trump supporters and ICE agents. Harrison County jail records indicate he was booked in January for these offenses. However, with the recent presidential threats, his charges have been elevated, leading to an indictment in the Northern District of West Virginia this week.
“The safety and security of those we protect is our highest priority and all threats against the President of the United States will be investigated and prosecuted,” said Tad Lipscomb, the resident agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Charleston, West Virginia, resident office, in a statement. “We are grateful for our law enforcement partners at HSI, the FBI, the West Virginia State Police, and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the federal prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia for their assistance during this case.”
According to the indictment, Smith railed about Trump, Trump Jr., and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his online posts and even went so far as to call into the “ICE tip line” to provide his name and city of residence, Clarksburg, while making death threats.
“Im gonna give them my name and where to find me so stay tuned you might get to see me rape and kill some proud Nazi boy f—s,” Smith allegedly posted, before calling the tip line.
Prosecutors say the initial investigation into Smith began on Jan. 19, when the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office contacted the West Virginia State Police about someone making threats. According to authorities, Smith had posted videos of himself in which he stated his intent to harm others.
In the videos, Smith called the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and said “he was going to attack and kill ICE agents,” according to local NBC and ABC affiliate WBOY. He also allegedly threatened the person who answered his call, per CBS affiliate WDTV.
As investigators continued looking into the suspect, they allegedly found social media posts in which his rhetoric went beyond targeting law enforcement officers. Smith expressed his desire to “murder Trump supporters and or war supporters or service members willing to bootlick,” as well as the president himself, according to the DOJ.
Smith pleaded not guilty to the terroristic threats charges after they were filed and was facing up to three years behind bars for them.
Now, he’s facing up to five years for each of the presidential threat charges and up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the remaining counts.
“Threats of violence and death against President Trump and our brave law enforcement partners will not be tolerated in the Northern District of West Virginia,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey. “We take threats seriously, regardless of how they are made, and will prosecute those who make them to the fullest extent of the law.”