Florida man arrested after alleged threats against Donald Trump, JD Vance
JUPITER, Fla. – A man in Florida who police say made threats on social media against former President Donald Trump and his vice presidential pick, Sen. JD Vance, was arrested less than a week after a would-be assassin opened fire at Trump's rally.
Police in Jupiter, Florida, said on Friday that Michael M. Wiseman is facing charges of written threats to kill after an investigation found that he made multiple threats against Trump, Vance and their families.
Trump was wounded in the assassination attempt during his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last Saturday. One attendee died and two others were injured.
Trump is fresh from the Republican National Convention, where he thanked Americans for their support during his first speech since the shooting. This week, Trump announced that "Hillbilly Elegy" author Vance is his pick for vice president.
According to a statement from Jupiter police, officers were alerted through multiple online crime tips and contacts from residents who expressed their concerns in person.
After investigating the reports and viewing Wiseman's Facebook account, detectives learned that he had made several threats against Trump and Vance. Wiseman also allegedly made threats "concerning bodily harm" about the Trump and Vance families.
An attorney representing Wiseman, Tama Kudman, declined to comment on Saturday. Wiseman, who is 68 according to court records, made an appearance in court Saturday and is due back in August.
Local police coordinated the investigation with the U.S. Secret Service and the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office. Wiseman was taken into custody without incident, police said.
Jupiter is about 20 miles away from Palm Beach, where Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate is located.
In the wake of the shooting, several people across the country have also been fired or resigned from jobs after making offensive jokes or comments on social media expressing dismay that the shooter missed.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.