Federal authorities have charged a 32-year-old Miami Beach resident with threatening President Donald Trump and other top officials after investigators say he spent nearly three months posting violent messages and videos on social media.
Nathaniel Sanders II made his first court appearance May 5 before a Miami federal judge on charges of threatening the president and transmitting threats across state lines, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced. A conviction could send Sanders to federal prison for up to a decade.
Between January 28 and April 22, 2026, Sanders bombarded his X and Instagram accounts with posts and video recordings containing violent language directed at Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and former Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to a criminal complaint written by a Secret Service special agent.
How the Investigation Unfolded
The investigation launched in January when a U.S. Capitol Police special agent alerted the Secret Service’s Protective Intelligence Operations Center to an unspecified threat Sanders had made against Trump. Within minutes — and independently of the Capitol Police tip — an analyst with the Secret Service’s Open Source Intelligence Branch discovered multiple posts from Sanders’ X account.
One of those posts threatened to “bomb” the White House. Minutes later, Sanders followed up with a chilling two-word message: “I mean it.”
Authorities traced the X account to Sanders and located two Instagram accounts registered in his name. Those accounts contained numerous videos of Sanders “complaining and speaking angrily about his hatred” for Trump, Rubio — who also serves as Acting National Security Advisor — and Bondi, prosecutors said.
In February, law enforcement officers visited Sanders’ Miami Beach residence to question him about the initial posts. He declined to speak with them, instead calling the officers “pedophiles,” the complaint says. The Secret Service special agent who authored the filing later confirmed that Sanders was the man depicted in all of the videos.
Disturbing Videos Aimed at the First Lady
On April 10, Sanders uploaded an Instagram video that appeared directed at First Lady Melania Trump. In the footage, he labeled the president “the biggest pedophile” in the world before making a statement that alarmed federal investigators.
“I don’t know what to do Melania, like, all I got is a gun. It’s the only thing I can use now is a gun,” Sanders said, according to the complaint.
Just two minutes afterward, Sanders uploaded another video focusing on Rubio. Speaking partly in Spanish, he declared “yo no tengo miedo de nadie” — “I’m not scared of anyone” — before pivoting to English.
Seven days later, Sanders published another video calling Trump an “orange pedophile a– pervert” and warning, “I’m going to kill you.” Prosecutors say that two days after that post, Sanders directed his fury at Bondi using his second Instagram account, writing threats including “Imma kill all y’all pedophiles” and “Immakill you.”
In yet another message aimed at the president, Sanders told Trump to “come find me” so that he “can stomp you in the ground.”
Prosecutors Draw a Hard Line
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida used the announcement to send a blunt message about the boundaries of permissible speech in an increasingly volatile political climate.
Special Agent in Charge Michael Townsend of the Secret Service’s Miami Field Office added his own warning to would-be offenders. “Making threats against the president of the United States is a federal crime, and we treat it with the seriousness it deserves every time,” Townsend said. The agency also cautioned that deleting posts, hiding behind a username, or firing off angry messages online does not make threats any less serious in the eyes of federal law. Despite the volume and severity of the alleged threats, the complaint contains no indication that Sanders took any concrete steps to carry out an attack. Still, federal authorities have moved swiftly, citing the explicit references to firearms, bombings and physical violence as more than enough to warrant charges.
What Comes Next in Court
Sanders was represented by a public defender at his initial hearing on Monday but the attorney did not immediately respond to an email request for comment, court records show. A detention hearing was set for Thursday, May 7, and his arraignment is scheduled for May 18.
Sanders has had prior encounters with law enforcement. In March 2026, he was arrested on a criminal mischief charge after destroying shelves at a South Beach vape shop, causing approximately $7,000 in damage.
The case is the latest in a string of alleged plots and threats against Trump that federal agents have intercepted since his return to the White House last year. While many such threats are dismissed as venting or political hyperbole, prosecutors made clear that posts naming firearms, bombs and specific officials cross a clear legal line — one Sanders is now accused of crossing repeatedly.