What is Swatting? Trump cabinet nominees threatened with ‘brutal, un-American threats’ before Thanksgiving

Several high-ranking members of the new Trump administration have been the targets of bomb threats, and the FBI has also reported “shooting incidents.” A “criminal” involves making a fake call to the police in hopes of directing them to the victim’s home. The results can sometimes be fatal.

Last Christmas, several American politicians were targeted by militants, including Republican Congressman Brandon Williams of New York and a member of Congress from Georgia Marjorie Taylor Greenalso a republican.

Williams suggested he may have been targeted because of his support for Israel, claiming Hamas signs had been left at his home. Democratic politicians such as Michelle Wu, the mayor of Boston, have also come under attack.

Threats against the Trump administration

While the FBI has not identified which members of Trump’s team received threats, some have spoken publicly about being targeted.

Pete Hegsethcandidate for defense secretary, told X that a police officer alerted him to a “plausible pipe bomb threat” at his home on Wednesday morning. However, Hegseth was defiant, saying: “I will not be bullied or bullied.” Never… President Trump has called me to serve – and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Eliza Stefanykwho is expected to be the US ambassador to the United Nations, said she was also informed of the bomb threat at her home while traveling to New York with her family for Thanksgiving.

Environmental Protection Agency candidate Lee Zeldin also spoke about the threat of a pipe explosion with a “pro-Palestinian themed message.”

No arrests have been reported so far, so it’s unclear whether the incidents are serious threats of political violence or online pranksters trying to cause trouble.

Trump transition team spokeswoman Caroline Levitt called the threats “violent” and “un-American,” but added that “with President Trump as an example, dangerous acts of intimidation and violence will not stop us.”

Levitt obviously meant assassination attempt on Donald Trump in July this year. During a campaign rally, a gunman opened fire on Trump, hitting him in the ear. Seconds after the hit, Trump, surrounded by Secret Service agents, rose to his feet and, in now-iconic photos, raised his fist and shouted, “Fight!”

The rise of political violence in the United States

The US has a long history of political violence, with four of the country’s 45 presidents being assassinated while in office (just under 10%). Other notable political figures to be assassinated include Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, and Robert F. Kennedy (not to be confused with his son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who was appointed to serve in Trump’s cabinet).

The last decade has also seen a rise in under-the-radar violence, with groups like Antifa, Proud Boys and Black Lives Matter engaging in unrest ranging from intimidation to full-scale riots.