Man accused of threatening Trump, police following interaction at July 2024 rally
A homeless man is accused of threatening the lives of the president, law enforcement and others, citing his alleged experience after the July, 13, 2024, assassination attempt targeting then-candidate President Donald Trump.
In charges filed Thursday, Jan. 29, state police detail how David James Stewart, 36, allegedly used his social media platforms to threaten elected officials and local, state and federal law enforcement — even making a bomb threat last week directed at the state police barracks in Butler Township.
Stewart was charged by state police with felony terroristic threats.
According to an affidavit in the case, Stewart began commenting on posts via X related to the assassination of Charlie Kirk before he branched to posts from elected officials, law enforcement and government accounts this month. The charging document details messages posted by Stewart from Jan. 10 to 23.
Among those threatened were Trump; the White House; U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th; and state police’s Troop D.
Police spoke with Stewart on Wednesday after he was spotted sitting at a table with his laptop at a Sheetz in Butler County. The store’s address was not specified.
Police said Stewart acknowledged his anger and feelings of mistreatment by law enforcement when later interviewed at the state police barracks.
According to the affidavit, he justified his posts by saying there was nothing done when he felt threatened by law enforcement.
Police said Stewart admitting posting the messages and said he shouldn’t have.
Stewart’s preliminary hearing before District Judge Kevin O’Donnell is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Thursday. He’s being held in Butler County Prison on a $500,000 bail.
The affidavit indicates Troop D received a tip about a threatening posts on Jan. 23, the same day the Butler barracks reacted to a bomb threat. Troopers exited the building and conducted a sweep of the grounds following the threat posted by the X account.
The account, featuring the public facing name of “Eminent Bro-main,” was linked to Stewart.
“There’s a bomb in your parking lot,” the account posted Jan. 23 after a series of profanity-laced posts directed at Troop D.
“I’m gonna waste you and all your friends. Keep your eyes at the roofs,” the account posted.
Following the threat, the account went on to make the bomb threat and followed up with a series of more than 20 additional posts, according to the affidavit.
As the posts were investigated, police found Stewart posted screenshots on Jan. 22 of an email he allegedly sent to staff director Brian Downey of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Subcommittee on Investigations.
In the email, dated October 2024 and detailed in the affidavit, Stewart appears to allege he was tackled in a field, humiliated in front of strangers and threatened with guns on July 13, 2024. He also alleged he was later interrogated by state police.
“I don’t think you fully understand what happened to me,” he said in the email.
Police said he told Downey in the email “now go get me the bodycams from these tyrants or I’ll take the trash out the old fashioned way.”
Police said they also found a video posted Jan. 20 to Stewart’s YouTube account. In the video, he alleged he was threatened with a gun for his phone password by state police while at the July 13 rally. The content of the video is a title screen followed by still images of state police at the rally.
In the comments, Stewart went on to allege the public was being deceived by Trump and local, state and federal authorities and he was almost killed for recording evidence.
The charges filed Wednesday indicate troopers encountered Stewart on July 13, 2024, as a “witness.” He appeared in videos taken by attendees in the area of Agr International, the affidavit said.
The affidavit didn’t further detail the events alleged by Stewart.
The same day as the bomb threat, police said they continued to find other threatening messages from Stewart’s X account.
Police said they found X posts linked to Stewart’s account where he threatened Kelly.
“I know where you live Mike” and “its almost garbage day Mikey,” the account linked to Stewart posted, according to police.
Police said they continued to find threats from Stewart’s account under posts from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel, the White House, the Department of Human Services and Trump.
