A federal grand jury has indicted John Alexander Bellue on charges that he threatened to kill President Donald Trump in a post on the social media platform X, according to an indictment filed May 19 in the Rock Hill Division of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.
Bellue faces two counts. Count one charges him with threatening the President of the United States, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 871(a). Count two charges him with interstate communication of a threat to injure, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 875(c).
According to the indictment, Bellue knowingly and willfully made a threat to take the life of and to inflict bodily harm upon the president on or about Sept. 7, 2025, by posting on a publicly available account on the X social media platform.
“@realDonaldTrump you have the right to remain silent, I’m gonna kill you in the most brutal way possible,” the post read, according to the indictment.
A reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances would interpret the post as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to the president, prosecutors wrote.
The second count alleges Bellue knowingly and willfully transmitted the same communication in interstate and foreign commerce.
The indictment was returned as a true bill and signed by Bryan P. Stirling, United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina. It was filed by Special Assistant United States Attorney Kerry B. McTigue.
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