A 45-year-old Massachusetts man was arrested after allegedly making repeated threats to kill Donald Trump on Facebook. He later confronted law enforcement while armed with a sword. As of March 19, 2026, the suspect, Andrew Emerald, faces an eight-count federal indictment tied to social media posts made last year.
Emerald reportedly threatened to travel to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, if the president were still alive by 2026. The charges were filed in federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts.
“Either Trump is dead and in the ground by 2026, or I am hunting him down and putting him there,” Andrew Emerald said, issuing a direct threat to the president.
According to Reuters, Emerald pleaded not guilty in an initial court hearing and is being held without bail. A detention hearing is scheduled for Monday, April 5, 2026. Authorities said a concerned citizen first alerted Emerald that making threats against Trump was a criminal offense.
The tip then reached the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which immediately led officers to his home in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Emerald initially refused to come outside but later emerged holding a long metallic sword.
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In response, Emerald allegedly said, “I’ll kill them until they kill me,” and claimed he had threatened the president for several years. He showed no remorse after his arrest and appeared erratic, telling an FBI agent they should shoot him before taking him into custody because he refused to drop the weapon.
Authorities established a perimeter and brought in a crisis negotiation team. After repeated attempts and a patient phone call with local police, Emerald agreed to exit his home. A detailed search later led to the seizure of multiple weapons from the Massachusetts property.
Investigators say Emerald had previously referenced the weapon in social media posts, including one in July 2025 in which he allegedly threatened to use it against Trump.
According to court documents, Andrew Emerald posted similar messages on Facebook on January 26, 2018. A concerned individual alerted the FBI about a potential mass shooting threat. The U.S. Secret Service later determined he had suggested violence against Trump then as well.
A few days later, on January 30, 2018, authorities interviewed Emerald at his residence in Bourne, Massachusetts. He admitted to posting comments implying that executing politicians in Washington, D.C., was the only way to “clean things up.” He was frustrated with certain political actions and did not agree with Donald Trump’s ideologies.
For those unfamiliar, threatening to kill the president of the United States, in this case, Donald Trump, is a serious federal felony. It can lead to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, a $100 special assessment, and up to three years of supervised release.
Immigrants who engage in any conspiracy or action causing bodily harm, or verbal or virtual threats, are committing a political offense and can be deported. The law also applies to all former presidents, vice presidents, and potential presidential candidates.
Trump, whose tenure has already been under intense scrutiny, survived an assassination attempt in 2024. On July 13, 2024, Donald Trump was shot in the ear during a rally at the fairgrounds by Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old Republican voter from Pennsylvania, who was killed by Secret Service snipers.
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An iconic picture of Donald Trump with a raised fist, with words captured during the assassination attempt: “Fight! Fight! Fight!” has been installed in the corridors of the White House after the incident. The gunfire critically injured two other attendees and killed a local firefighter named Corey Comperatore.
In a preview video, the president discussed his thoughts during an interview with his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump. “I didn’t know exactly what was going on. I got whacked. There’s no question about that,” he said.
