A Michigan resident, James Donald Vance Jr., 67, of Grand Rapids, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for making online threats against President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and two other individuals, including one of President Trump’s children. The sentencing, announced on November 17, 2025, by U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey of the Western District of Michigan, followed Vance's guilty plea to two felony offenses. These charges involved threatening federal officials and transmitting threatening communications across state lines.
"When Vance said he planned to kill our President and the Vice President simply because he disagreed with them, he crossed a line we all understand and so had to be punished." U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey, Western District of Michigan
According to federal prosecutors, Vance utilized the social media platform Bluesky under the alias "Diaperjdv" to publish multiple disturbing threats during March and April 2025. The posts contained explicit statements threatening to kill President Trump, Vice President Vance, and the two additional targets. Federal authorities noted that Vance expressed indifference to being shot by Secret Service agents or spending the rest of his life incarcerated, underscoring the serious nature of his intent.
The United States Secret Service's Grand Rapids office initiated an investigation into the threatening statements. Vance subsequently pleaded guilty to charges of threatening to kill or injure the President and Vice President, alongside a separate felony count for interstate threatening communications. Each of these offenses carried a maximum potential sentence of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney presided over the sentencing proceedings in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Judge Maloney described Vance's conduct as "grievous" and emphasized that incarceration was a necessary measure to deter others from engaging in similar threatening behavior.
Federal prosecutors were unequivocal in stating that political disagreements do not provide an excuse for threats of violence against elected officials. U.S. Attorney VerHey condemned the misuse of social media platforms for threatening public figures, advocating for online spaces to foster democratic discussion rather than intimidation. "The advent of the internet gives us all an opportunity to engage in the healthy exchange of ideas that are so important to a democracy," VerHey stated. He cautioned that some individuals, however, choose to exploit these platforms to spread fear and threaten others. VerHey added, "When Vance said he planned to kill our President and the Vice President simply because he disagreed with them, he crossed a line we all understand and so had to be punished."
The Secret Service echoed these sentiments, stressing the severe consequences associated with threatening federal protectees. William Shink, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Detroit Field Office, affirmed, "Threats against our nation’s leaders and their families will not be tolerated." Shink further clarified that individuals who threaten the President, Vice President, or other Secret Service protectees will face thorough investigation and accountability.
This prosecution follows another recent federal case in western Michigan involving threats against President Trump. On October 20, 2025, Richard James Spring of Comstock Park received an 18-month federal prison sentence and a $2,000 fine after pleading guilty to threatening to kill the President, as reported by the Justice Department. U.S. District Judge Jane M. Beckering oversaw Spring's sentencing in Grand Rapids. Both cases were investigated by the Grand Rapids office of the Secret Service, underscoring a concerted effort by federal authorities to address threats against political leaders, particularly those disseminated via social media. Vance's two-year sentence concludes the legal proceedings stemming from his threatening posts, reinforcing the critical distinction between protected political expression and criminal threats of violence.
