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 Michigan man, aged 67, is headed to prison after making explicit threats against President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, declaring that he would assassinate them if they ever set foot in his city. These threats, made on social media, have led to serious legal repercussions for him.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney sentenced James Donald Vance Jr.—not to be confused with Vice President James David “JD” Vance—to a two-year term in a federal prison, according to an announcement by authorities. The case gained attention due to the high-profile nature of the individuals involved.
In July, James Vance admitted his guilt to charges of threatening to kill or injure both the President and Vice President of the United States, as well as sending an interstate threatening communication. Notably, he entered an open plea, meaning no sentencing agreement had been reached with prosecutors beforehand.
United States Attorney Timothy VerHey emphasized the gravity of Vance’s actions, stating, “The advent of the internet provides us all an opportunity for healthy exchanges of ideas, crucial to a democracy. However, some misuse this platform to spread fear and intimidation, actions that undermine our democratic principles. Vance’s threats to kill the President and Vice President crossed a universally understood line, necessitating punishment.”
The threats, shared on the social media platform Bluesky, were detailed in an indictment from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. The indictment asserted that James Vance “knowingly and willfully” threatened to harm the President and Vice President, a serious offense that the court has taken decisive action against.
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.
