Clockwise from top left: An X post reportedly made by Brian Tate. The residence of Brian Tate, 49, in High Falls, N.Y., where he resided at the time of his apprehension. Another menacing message that Brian Tate allegedly shared on X last month (Northern District of New York/FBI).
A New York man has been charged with making threats to assassinate President Donald Trump on X—claiming he’d target him “with a .270 from 300 yards”—accompanied by remarks about waging “war” on Trump’s supporter, Elon Musk, as indicated in court filings.
Brian Tate, 50, from High Falls, is accused of disseminating his violent and confrontational posts on social media under the username @JamesTate121, including a post that mentioned a GIF depicting Trump’s head exploding, according to the FBI affidavit.
“I can do that with a .270 from 300 yards,” Tate allegedly said, sharing a photo of a bolt-action rifle and referencing the caliber.
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In a December 2024 post, Tate, who has over 95,000 followers on X, allegedly shared a news article that said Elon Musk had “declared war on Social Security.”
“Millions of us declare war back,” Tate allegedly said.
Responding to a reply from another user that said “f—er has no idea what will hit him,” Tate allegedly wrote, “270 in the back of ear from 300 yards.”
The affidavit outlines how Tate, who has a prior conviction for criminal sale of a controlled substance — marijuana — told investigators that he did, in fact, post the things he’s accused of saying, but he does not possess a firearm and didn’t plan on harming anyone.
“Tate further told us that he sometimes vents on social media due to the stress from his children, particularly when he is drinking alcohol, and claimed he didn’t mean anything from his posts,” the affidavit says.
Tate’s alleged X page, which was still up as of 4 p.m. Monday, describes him as a “father of 3 wonderful kids … trying to save America from The Trump Cult.” He lives in the Hudson Valley region of New York state and authorities have obtained warrants to search his home, citing probable cause to believe that he’s committed interstate threats crimes and unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, according to court documents.
