Archive · 19 Nov 2025
Man Sentenced for Threatening Trump, Vance, and Musk
A man named James Donald Vance Jr. was sentenced to 2 years in prison for posting threats to kill US President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Elon Musk on a social media site.
He used an alias and pled guilty to two felony offenses.
This is not the first time someone has been jailed for threatening top US leaders.
James Donald Vance Jr. sentenced to 2 years for online threats
Threatened to kill US President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Elon Musk
Used alias 'Diaperjdv' on Bluesky social media platform
Pled guilty to two felony offenses
Not the first such case, another man sentenced in October for threatening Trump
- Who
- James Donald Vance Jr.
- What
- Threatened to kill US President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Elon Musk
- When
- March and April 2023
- Where
- Online, using the Bluesky social media platform
- Why
- Disagreed with them
Prosecution's View
Defense's View
Threat Severity
Prosecution's View
Threats against national leaders are serious and damaging to democracy
Defense's View
Vance has the right to express his disagreement, even if it's strongly worded
- Age
- 67
- Location
- Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Sentence
- 2 years in federal prison
- Offenses
- Threatening to kill or injure the president and vice president, interstate threatening communications
- Maximum penalty per offense
- 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine