❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Pennsylvania man was charged federally for allegedly threatening to kill then-President-elect Donald J. Trump before his inauguration.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jacob Buckley, a 22-year-old from Port Matilda, Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Secret Service.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The threats were made on January 16, 2025, via TikTok, according to the Justice Department.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I’m going to kill Trump,” Buckley allegedly wrote on TikTok.
🎯IMPACT: If convicted, Buckley faces up to five years in prison, supervised release, fines, and a special assessment.
Jacob Buckley, a 22-year-old Pennsylvania man, has been charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania for allegedly threatening to kill then-President-elect Donald J. Trump. The threats, made on TikTok under the username “Jacob_buckley,” included statements such as, “I’m going to kill Trump,” and, “Bro we going into a literal oligarchy in 4 days and im going to kill Trump,” according to prosecutors.
The U.S. Secret Service conducted the investigation, and Buckley has been “charged by criminal information for threatening Donald Trump as the President-elect,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The Department of Justice (DOJ) noted that the maximum penalty upon conviction includes up to five years in prison, supervised release, fines, and a special assessment.
This case follows a similar incident involving a Rhode Island man, Carl Montague, who was charged in July for allegedly threatening Trump and members of his administration on Truth Social. Montague’s threats, posted on June 27, 2025, included violent language directed at Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. The FBI later determined that Montague did not have access to weapons or the means to carry out his threats.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, two would-be assassins made attempts on President Trump’s life. Ryan Wesley Routh, who was discovered by the Secret Service hiding with an SKS-style rifle amidst shrubbery on the edge of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, is currently facing trial. A judge recently ruled that Routh will be allowed to represent himself in his defense.
Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok.
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