Donald Trump’s senior cabinet nominations have been singled out for serious threats. Some officials were targeted with reports of bombs, while others have been subjected to so-called ‘swatting calls’—a hoax call to law enforcement intending to create a police armed response.
The president-elect’s team described the threats as “violent” and “unAmerican,” but stressed—in a clear evocation of his response to an assassination attempt—that
With President Trump as our example, dangerous acts of intimidation and violence will not deter us.
American commentator Todd Starnes said the threats appeared to have been “very well-coordinated,” adding that “this is a matter of national security.”
Trump’s team did not reveal who had been targeted, but reports—which emerged on the eve of Thanksgiving—point to defence secretary pick Pete Hegseth, his pick for incoming ambassador to the U.N Elise Stefanik, and John Ratcliffe, Trump’s nominee for head of the C.I.A.
Lee Zeldin, who has been chosen to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, also revealed on Twitter/X that he had received a “pipe bomb threat” at home—aimed at himself and his family—sent with “a pro-Palestinian themed message.”
It has not been disclosed whether Trump himself was targeted in this way.
Officials at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) are looking into this apparent coordinated campaign of intimidation, and have encouraged “members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.”
Joe Biden’s outgoing administration—after years of incendiary language against Trump—said in response that it “unequivocally condemn[s] threats of political violence.”
