Maryland Man Charged With Threatening President Donald Trump
State of MD - A Maryland man made his first appearance in federal court this week on domestic terrorism charges. The charges stem from a series of online threats made earlier this year.
Donald Franklin Swope, 53, is charged by criminal complaint. The charges include threats against the President of the United States Donald Trump, interstate communication of a threat to harm, and threatening or injuring a family member of a federal official.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland announced the complaint on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes made the announcement along with Special Agent in Charge Brian McDonough of the U.S. Secret Service Baltimore Field Office.
According to the complaint, Swope made repeated Facebook posts between May 12, 2026, and July 27, 2026 about harming President Donald J. Trump.
On August 5, he posted several more threats, this time aimed at the Secret Service.
The posts did not stop there. Swope continued posting threatening content from August 6, 2026 through August 8, 2026, according to investigators.
This case falls under a nationwide effort called National Security Presidential Memorandum 7. The initiative is a White House directed program that brings together federal, state, and local agencies to protect First Amendment rights while targeting political violence.
The effort is led by an investigative and prosecutorial group called Joint Task Force Vanguard.
If convicted, Swope faces up to five years in prison for each threatening communication charge. The charge involving a federal official's family member carries a maximum of 10 years.
Actual sentences in federal cases are often lower than the maximum allowed by law. A federal judge will decide any sentence after reviewing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
U.S. Attorney Hayes praised the Secret Service for its work on the case. She also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia McLane, who is prosecuting the case.
Disclosure: All individuals mentioned in this article are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Eastern Shore Undercover® does not express or imply any opinion regarding the incident reported.
