According to federal authorities, a Florida man was arrested after threatening to kill President Donald Trump in a social media post.
Tranard Dell, 31, is charged with one count each of threatening to kill the president and influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a federal officer with a threat to murder, according to a 6-page criminal complaint filed in the Middle District of Florida on Thursday.
The defendant, a resident of Port Orange, a medium-sized seaside town in the Daytona Beach metropolitan area, was arrested by the US Secret Service last month in response to a post on X (formerly Twitter).
According to the charging document, on March 20, a “Twitter” user identified as “@rockstarkidd31” with the display name “Tray” tagged the 45th and 47th presidents’ handles and relayed a death fantasy, culminating in a series of violent threats.
The threatened violence is extremely graphic and explicit; the complaint includes a screenshot of the offending X post in question.
“[E]veryyyyyday of my life I just wish I could cut the news on to hear that you’ve died, been shot, or had a stroke, you one dumb silly ass b— and I’ll kill your a— myself, you better not come to Florida. “I’m going to shoot your brains everywhere,” the social media post says.
The Secret Service then subpoenaed the Twitter account in question and tracked the IP address down to a Port Orange apartment where a 79-year-old woman lives. Investigators then searched Florida driver’s licenses with that address; one of the registered licenses belonged to Dell, according to the complaint.
In late April, an investigator interviewed the resident, who confirmed she knew Dell and stated that he “routinely visits” her in her apartment.
When authorities apprehended Dell, he reportedly refused to discuss the alleged incident.
From the complaint, in length:
On April 24, 2025, [Secret Service officer] J.E. contacted a cellular phone number associated with DELL. DELL answered the phone and J.E. identified himself as law enforcement and asked if he could speak with DELL. DELL demanded to know what the conversation would be about, to which J.E. explained that he was investigating a threat posted on Twitter. DELL became angry and told J.E. not to show up to his residence or J.E. would not be walking. DELL also made a verbal threat to shoot J.E. if he showed up.
After the call ended, DELL attempted to call J.E., who did not answer. DELL then sent J.E. several text messages, including, “B— pull up to my s— b— I’m gone shoot you in your mf face” and “Come here I bet you won’t leave walking or talking.”
The Secret Service agent then requested assistance from the local police department in Port Orange and began surveillance of the apartment building. According to the complaint, while watching the apartment, authorities noticed a man outside with a cell phone and dialed Dell’s number again, to which the man answered. Dell “again threatened to kill J.E.,” according to the charging document.
According to the complaint, after being Mirandized, the defendant admitted that he owned the “Twitter account” but denied making the threatening posts against President Trump.
During a subsequent interview, however, Dell “recanted his earlier denial that he had made the threatening post against the President and admitted that he had authored the post,” authorities say.
The Secret Service linked the threat to a specific policy of the Trump administration.
“Dell stated he was upset when he had made the post because he was worried that the Trump administration was going to take away his federally assisted housing,” according to the lawsuit. “Based on open-source research, I know that approximately one week before Dell’s Twitter post, the Associated Press had reported that the Trump administration intended to terminate a $1 billion federal housing program.”
Dell is among a growing number of men arrested for allegedly making threats against Trump.
In early April, another Florida man was arrested on similar charges for allegedly posting Facebook threats against Trump’s life in order to manipulate the stock market. Days later, Robert King of Texas was accused of making threats against Trump and Homeland Security Director Kristi Noem over immigration policy differences. In mid-April, a man in Georgia was charged with threatening Trump, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and the White House.
The defendant is currently being held at the Volusia County Jail on a $50,000 cash or surety bond.