A Chicago woman was arrested on Monday on charges of emailing threats to shoot Donald Trump and his youngest son Barron Trump, the US attorney’s office in the Illinois city said.
A formal complaint was filed against Tracy Marie Fiorenza, 41, earlier this month in the US district court for the southern district of Florida.
“I will state that I will shoot Donald Trump Sr AND Barron Trump straight in the face at any opportunity I get!” Fiorenza allegedly wrote in an email in May, according to the complaint.
The email was sent to the unidentified head of an educational institution in Palm Beach county, southern Florida, where Trump has his primary residence, the Mar-a-Lago resort, club and residence complex in Palm Beach.
In June, the woman allegedly sent another email threatening Trump, who is seeking re-election in 2024, and his son, the complaint said. Barron Trump is 17 and the son of Trump and his wife Melania.
A representative for Fiorenza could not immediately be reached for comment.
Political violence and threats in a polarized US have risen in recent years. A Reuters report released earlier this month showed such violence was at its worst since the 1970s.
As well as seeking the Republican party’s nomination for president in 2024, when he hopes to return to the White House after being defeated by Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump is currently embroiled as the defendant in a host of criminal and civil legal cases in New York, Washington, Florida and Georgia. He faces a series of trials, with the first one, concerning his business interests, scheduled for October.
Reuters contributed reporting
