Share and Follow
President Donald Trump gestures past Vice President JD Vance during a FIFA task force meeting on the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Washington (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein).
A 67-year-old man from Michigan is facing a prison sentence after making explicit threats against President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, warning of their assassination if they returned to his area. These alarming threats, shared on social media, have led to his conviction.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney sentenced James Donald Vance Jr. to two years in a federal facility. It is important to note that this individual is not the vice president, James David “JD” Vance. This decision was confirmed by authorities in a public announcement.
Back in July, James Vance admitted guilt to charges of threatening to harm both the president and vice president of the United States, as well as sending a threatening message across state lines. His plea was open, indicating there was no pre-arranged sentencing deal with prosecutors.
United States Attorney Timothy VerHey emphasized the significance of the internet as a platform for the exchange of ideas fundamental to democracy. However, he noted the misuse of this tool by some to instill fear and disrupt democratic principles. “When Vance declared his intent to kill our President and Vice President over disagreements, he crossed a universally understood boundary, necessitating legal repercussions,” VerHey stated.
Law&Crime previously reported that James Vance made the threats on the social media platform Bluesky.
An indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan stated that James Vance “knowingly and willfully” threatened to “take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon, the President and Vice President of the United States.”
James Vance made the incriminating post on April 1, under the username “Diaperjdv,” writing:
“If tRump, Vance, or Musk ever come to my city again, they will leave it in a body bag. I will either be shot by a secret service sniper or spend the rest of my life in prison. I’ve only got about 10 years of life left anyway so I don’t f—ing care either way.”
The charge of threatening to kill the president carries a maximum penalty of five years in a federal prison as well as a fine of up to $250,000.
The threatening communication charge in connection with that post states that in writing the comment on Bluesky, James Vance was “consciously disregarding a substantial risk that his communication would be viewed as threatening violence against other persons.”
The second threatening communication charge stems from a March 7 post in which James Vance allegedly threatened the president in response to another user’s post that was titled “Donald Trump Jr. Considering a Run for President in 2028.”
In response, James Vance wrote, “I will murder that stupid f—er before he gets secret service protection,” according to the indictment.
James Vance’s sentence makes him the second defendant in the last two months to be imprisoned in Western Michigan over threats to kill Donald Trump. U.S. District Judge Jane M. Beckering on Oct. 20 sentenced Richard James Spring to 18 months in prison and fined him $2,000 after he pleaded guilty to one count of making threats to kill and injure the president.
“i promise I will make SURE he is assassinated before his first f—ing year,” Spring wrote in one of the social media posts that led to his arrest, according to a sentencing memo filed last month.