Michigan Man Sentenced to Two Years for Threatening Trump, VP, and Elon Musk

James Donald “JD” Vance Jr., a 67-year-old resident of Grand Rapids, Michigan, was sentenced to two years in federal prison on Tuesday after a judge determined that his repeated online threats to assassinate President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and the president’s eldest son constituted a grave danger to public officials and required substantial punishment to deter similar acts nationwide.

U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney handed down the sentence in the Western District of Michigan following Vance’s guilty plea to two felony counts: one count of threatening to kill or injure the president and vice president, and one count of transmitting threats across state lines via interstate communications. Each offence carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine; the two-year term reflects a balanced assessment of the defendant’s age, health considerations, and the unambiguous seriousness of the threats.

The threats were posted between March and April this year on the Bluesky social media platform under the alias “Diaperjdv.” Among the most explicit was an April 1 message stating that if Trump, Vance, or Musk ever returned to his city, they would “leave it in a body bag,” and that he was fully prepared to be killed by Secret Service snipers or spend the rest of his life incarcerated. A separate March 7 post vowed to murder the president’s oldest son before he could receive Secret Service protection, demonstrating a deliberate pattern of targeting both elected leaders and their families.

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U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey emphasized the fundamental distinction between protected political speech and criminal intimidation, declaring that while the internet facilitates robust democratic debate, Vance’s statements crossed an unmistakable red line into terroristic threatening. VerHey underscored that such conduct not only instills fear in its direct targets but also erodes public confidence in democratic institutions, making vigorous prosecution and visible sentencing essential to preserve civil discourse and public safety.

This case represents one of several recent federal convictions for threats against senior U.S. officials, reinforcing law enforcement’s zero-tolerance stance toward online violence regardless of the perpetrator’s perceived ability to act. Authorities continue to monitor digital platforms closely, treating every credible threat with the highest priority to safeguard the nation’s leadership and uphold the rule of law.

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