Main: President Donald Trump attends the 157th National Memorial Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin). Inset: Robert Herrera (Bexar County Detention Center).
In Texas, a 52-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly making threats to assassinate President Donald Trump before his scheduled visit to the Lone Star State. In a social media post, he supposedly referenced a previous unsuccessful attempt on the president’s life with the caption, “I won’t miss.”
Authorities announced that Robert Herrera has been detained and is facing charges, including one count of making a terroristic threat against a public figure and making threatening communications across state lines.
“While the FBI fully supports and defends every American’s right to free speech, it is important to understand that threatening violence against any individual is not constitutionally protected speech, it is a federal crime,” Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp of the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office said in a statement following Herrera’s arrest. “The FBI and our partners take threats of violence seriously and we urge the public to do the same.”
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, a news outlet in San Antonio on Thursday posted an article pertaining to Trump’s planned visit to Texas Hill Country on its Facebook page.
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In response to the news outlet’s post, Herrera allegedly posted a comment threatening to kill the president. Herrera’s post included a photograph depicting Trump surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents immediately after Thomas M. Crooks attempted to assassinate the president during a July 13, 2024, campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Using a sniper rifle, Crooks shot at Trump during the rally, partially striking the president’s ear but leaving him ultimately unharmed.
Herrera, using the handle “Robert Herrer,” included a comment with the photo from Butler that read: “I won’t miss.”
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania (AP Photo/Evan Vucci).
In the criminal complaint, which was not publicly available as of Monday morning, prosecutors say that a second unknown Facebook user replied to Herrera’s post stating, “you won’t get the chance, I promise.”
Herrera allegedly responded to that unknown user’s comment, writing, “I’ll just come for you.” The response included a photograph depicting an assault rifle and loaded magazines, according to the Justice Department.
Authorities located and arrested Herrera the same day the alleged threats were posted online. The U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and San Antonio Police Department are investigating the case with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
“This case is an example of great cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement partners committed to taking down anyone who would threaten the life of the President or anyone else,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “I want to thank Chief [William] McManus and his team at SAPD for their swift response to this threat. To be clear, these types of threats will not be taken lightly, and we will always take a swift, aggressive approach, as was done here.”
McManus said his department “remains committed” to ensuring that threats of violence “are taken seriously and addressed quickly.”
If convicted on the federal charges, Herrera faces a maximum possible sentence of five years in a federal prison, the DOJ said.
