Michigan Man Sentenced for Threatening Vice President

A man from Michigan has been sentenced to two years in prison for making threats against Vice President J.D. Vance, who shares his name. This decision comes after statements made by figures like President Trump and Elon Musk.

James Donald “JD” Vance Jr., 67, from Grand Rapids, admitted to threatening the president and vice president through several posts on the social media app BlueSky, where he used the name “Diaperjdv,” as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan.

In a post from April 1, he allegedly said, “If Lamp, Vance and Musk come to my city again, I will leave them in body bags.” He further claimed, “Either get shot by an intelligence sniper or spend the rest of your life in prison. I don’t care either way, because you only have about 10 years to live anyway.”

Besides targeting the vice president, Vance also threatened Donald Trump Jr. in a post regarding Trump Jr.’s potential presidential run in 2028. He reportedly stated, “I’m going to kill that stupid bastard before I get Secret Service protection.”

Prosecutors indicated that Vance pleaded guilty to two felonies: threatening to murder the president and vice president, and making threatening communications across state lines. U.S. Attorney Timothy Verhey condemned Vance’s actions on social media as a direct threat to democracy, emphasizing that such actions incite fear and undermine democratic values.

Verhey noted, “When Mr. Vance said he planned to kill the President and Vice President simply because he disagreed with them, he crossed a line that we all understand and must be punished.”

Interestingly, this Vance is not connected to the vice president, whose birth name was James Donald Bowman before becoming James David Vance.

This incident marks the second case in recent weeks under the investigation of the U.S. Secret Service’s Grand Rapids office. Last month, Richard James Spring from Comstock Park received an 18-month prison sentence for making threats on a social media platform against a woman while President Trump was present.

Spring also made a similar threat on TikTok, where he told viewers, “You’re going to watch your God die.” William Sink, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Detroit Field Office, stated that threats against leaders and their families will be taken seriously. He added that anyone making threats against the president, vice president, or Secret Service members will face thorough investigations and consequences.