A New Mexico Man Sentenced for Threatening President Trump
A man from New Mexico has received nearly ten months in prison for making threatening posts about then-President Donald Trump on social media, including TikTok, X, and Facebook. This prompted investigations by the Secret Service and the FBI.
From January 2 to 4, 2025, Tyler Miles Rebeck, 38, based in Albuquerque, shared multiple threats against then-President-elect Trump, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico.
On January 2, Rebeck posted a video on TikTok where he suggested that certain people should be “fucking scared,” indicating that his fear somehow made others uneasy. He concluded the video by shouting, “Run, run!”
The next day, he took to X to threaten Trump directly, saying, “@realDonaldTrump I’m watching you! I can’t wait for your victory rally! It’s on the 19th, right? Lol, you and your rich friends are dead. Threats are not promises.”
He further wrote, “Hey @Celebrities @ceos @elonmusk @DonaldTrump @Joemarafa It’s too late, they should have shut down TikTok a long time ago, see you on the 19th for war!”
Prosecutors noted that Rebeck also responded with “die” to one of Trump’s posts on X.
On the last day of his threatening messages, January 4, he wrote on Facebook, “I just bought my first gun bitch!” He followed up with, “World, America, Trump, CEOs, get rich, we’re hunting you down! Hahaha, I’m getting ready too! Now it’s over.”
He also expressed plans to confront state government officials, stating, “On the 19th, we will march on our state government workers and demand change. They are threatening to shut down our power grid! If you’re there, see you! If not, you’ve let me down. I’ll probably die or go to jail, but I’m fighting for what’s right!”
Secret Service and FBI agents visited Rebeck at his Albuquerque home on January 6 and found he was trying to buy a gun from a local dealer. Authorities confirmed that he had paid for the firearm online on January 4 but had not completed the purchase.
Rebeck claimed his online comments were protected by the Constitution, but law enforcement noted that threats of violence cross the line and aren’t shielded by the First Amendment.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison emphasized that threats against public officials are serious federal offenses and that the office will pursue these cases vigorously.
“Today’s sentence serves as a stark reminder that such threats bring serious and lifelong consequences, including prison time and a permanent felony record,” Ellison remarked, encouraging others to reconsider their actions.
Ron Emmott, a Secret Service agent, pointed out that threats of violence do not constitute protected speech. He affirmed the agency’s commitment to investigating and prosecuting such cases against public figures.
Justin A. Garis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Division, reiterated that while the FBI supports the right to free speech, it does not protect violence. Threatening speech aimed at specific individuals will be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated.
After pleading guilty to making threats against the president and his successor, Rebeck will be under three years of supervised release following his sentence.
It’s noteworthy that when Rebeck issued these threats, President Trump had already survived two assassination attempts within the previous year.
The first incident happened on July 13, 2024, when a shooter fired at Trump during a rally, resulting in severe injuries to the president and the death of a former fire chief. The second attempt occurred on September 15, 2024, when an assailant was caught with a gun nearby while Trump was golfing.
On September 23, that assailant was found guilty of multiple charges, including attempted assassination.
