A Chicago man faces federal charges after prosecutors said he sent messages threatening to kill President Donald Trump and his son, Barron Trump. One of the messages described graphic details of how he would kill Barron.
Michael Kovco, 29, was charged with one count of transmitting threats across state lines, according to court documents mentioned by CBS News Chicago. Prosecutors alleged that Kovco sent the threats through the White House website. He later threatened a U.S. Secret Service agent who visited his home to investigate.
One of the messages was sent on March 17 through the official White House website. CBS Chicago reported that the message included Kovco’s name, phone number, and email address while threatening both the president and Barron Trump.
The filing stated that the message included the words, “I’m going to take a serrated knife and saw Barron Trump’s head off” after carrying out “an active assassination attempt” against the President.
Two days later, after a Secret Service agent went to Kovco’s home, prosecutors said he sent another message. In it, he threatened to “hunt” the agent and target the agent’s workplace. Authorities also accused Kovco of sending messages that same day about getting a firearm and placing improvised explosive devices in Washington.
Chicago man, Michael Kovco, allegedly threatened to “take a serrated knife and saw Barron Trump’s head off” and carry out an assassination attempt on President Donald Trump with a “high caliber sniper rifle.”
Arrested and charged.
Authorities say the threats were taken… https://t.co/ygeR1OXxoU pic.twitter.com/ueF4sjKSpL
— Brian Costin (@BrianCostin) April 10, 2026
The complaint claims that Kovco attracted the attention of investigators months earlier. CBS reported that in August 2025, he sent a message to the CIA’s public website, threatening to kill Trump in an ambush using a heavy-caliber rifle. When Secret Service agents questioned him then, he denied responsibility and said someone else might have used his contact information.
This case comes during a time of heightened security concerns surrounding Trump and his family. Federal authorities frequently act against individuals accused of threatening the president or those close to him. This includes a 2023 case where another woman from the Chicago area was charged with threatening to shoot Trump and Barron Trump. Reuters reported that she sent emails to a Palm Beach County school that Barron Trump attended.
Japan’s PM Sanae Takaichi on Barron Trump:
I know he has grown up so much into a very tall, good-looking gentleman. pic.twitter.com/gLHSvS07M6
— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 19, 2026
In the latest case, CBS reported that investigators returned to Kovco’s house after the additional threats. They encountered someone in the hallway who said Kovco was unemployed, was not taking his medication, and rarely left home. When agents spoke to him, CBS stated that Kovco initially denied his actions before allegedly admitting, “Ok, I posted four more.”
Kovco was arrested last week and was due to appear for a detention hearing on Friday at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago, as reported by CBS. Federal charging documents are allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Newsweek, which reported on the threat to Barron Trump, noted that one of Kovco’s messages from March 19 also threatened to stalk Barron Trump in New York or Washington. The complaint claimed Kovco also threatened retaliation against any Secret Service agents who visited his home.
These allegations add to the growing list of violent threats against Trump. In February, Reuters reported that Secret Service agents and local police shot and killed an armed man who breached a secure area at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
