Several of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees and administration appointees were targeted with dangerous threats over the last 24 hours, the Trump team announced on Wednesday.
“Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and Administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them. These attacks ranged from bomb threats to ‘swatting.’ In response, law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted. President Trump and the entire Transition team are grateful for their swift action,” Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
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“President Trump and the Transition are focused on doing the work of uniting our nation by ensuring a safe and prosperous future,” she added. “With President Trump as our example, dangerous acts of intimidation and violence will not deter us.”
In a statement, the FBI acknowledged the threats to Trump’s nominees and appointees.
“The FBI is aware of numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees, and we are working with our law enforcement partners,” the bureau said. “We take all potential threats seriously, and as always, encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Trump’s pick to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, later revealed she and her family were targeted by a bomb threat.
“This morning, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, her husband, and their three year old son were driving home to Saratoga County from Washington for Thanksgiving when they were informed of a bomb threat to their residence. New York State, County law enforcement, and U.S. Capitol Police responded immediately with the highest levels of professionalism,” Stefanik’s congressional office said in a statement.
“We are incredibly appreciative of the extraordinary dedication of law enforcement officers who keep our communities safe 24/7,” Stefanik’s office added. “We want to share our best wishes to the Upstate NY community for a happy and safe Thanksgiving. We are especially grateful to our law enforcement officers and military families who are on duty over the holiday season.”
Others followed with announcements that they, too, had been targeted.
Former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), Trump’s nominee for EPA administrator, said a “pipe bomb threat targeting me and my family at our home today was sent in with a pro-Palestinian themed message.” He added that his family was not at home at the time and said they are working with law enforcement.
Trump’s pick to lead the Agriculture Department, Brooke Rollins, said on X that on Wednesday morning “we learned that a threat was issued against our home and family. She also thanked the Fort Worth Police Department for their “swift efforts” and noted that she and her family were safe.
Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), Trump’s selection to be the next secretary of Labor, said she and her family were targeted by a pipe bomb at their Oregon home. The congresswoman also thanked the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office for its “quick response” and said they were safe.
Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Scott Turner, said his home was targeted by a bomb threat on the eve of Thanksgiving and expressed gratitude to law enforcement for their “swift and professional” response.
Punchbowl News reported former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Trump’s nominee to be U.S. attorney general until Gaetz withdrew from consideration last week, received a pipe bomb threat that prompted a bomb squad response in Florida. Fox News reported defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth and CIA director nominee John Ratcliffe also received threats while Bloomberg reported commerce secretary nominee Howard Lutnick’s home in Manhattan received a bomb threat.
A spokesperson for the White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the threats to Trump’s picks.
“The President has been briefed. The White House is in touch with federal law enforcement and the President-elect’s team, and continues to monitor the situation closely,” the White House spokesperson said. “Federal law enforcement’s response, alongside state and local authorities, remains ongoing. The President and the Administration unequivocally condemn threats of political violence.”
A number of reactions, including from Trump’s allies and family, followed the Trump team’s announcement.
“The violent left has been calling in bomb threats and swatting incoming members of the Trump Administration. Enough is enough with this type of deranged crap!” Donald Trump Jr., the president-elect’s eldest child, said in a post to X.
“Dangerous and violent threats like this are disgusting,” said Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL). “Unfortunately, there are evil people who will try to deter President Trump and his team…but they won’t be stopped. I am thankful for law enforcement’s quick response and pray for the safety of President Trump, his family and his entire team.”
President-elect Trump himself survived an assassination attempt this past summer during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in which he got shot in the ear, one rally-goer was killed, and two others were injured. The gunman was killed by Secret Service counter-snipers.
There was an alleged second attempt on Trump’s life at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September. The man accused of attempting to assassinate him, Ryan Wesley Routh, is facing charges and has pleaded not guilty.