While seeking a second term in the White House, Donald Trump survived two attempts on his life, and it appears that the dangers from unhinged opponents of his agenda remain undeterred in their hopes of removing him from power, via violence, if necessary.

It emerged this week that former Coast Guard officer Peter Stinson has been charged with threatening to kill Trump, with FBI Director Kash Patel confirming that the would-be assassin's discourse on the matter included multiple references to language used by former agency chief James Comey in his recent “86 47” Instagram post, as Fox News reports.

Former officer arrested

As CBS News explains, Stinson was arrested this week over a large volume of social media posts involving threats to kill the president, which spanned the years between 2020 and 2025 and discussed multiple potential methods of murder.

Stinson, a former lieutenant and sharpshooter, retired from 33 years of Coast Guard service back in 2021, and his career also includes time spent as an instructor within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

According to the charging documents, Stinson suggested that while he lacked the skills to complete an assassination on his own, he was prepared to “serve in a support capacity” or to engage in fundraising to pay for a “contract hit,” and he made graphic threats against the president involving the potential use of guns, knives and poisoning.

Stinson was engaged in the allegedly threatening conduct as recently as last week, writing on Wednesday of Trump's potential demise, “When he dies, the party is going to be yuge.”

Federal prosecutors indicated that Stinson is also a “self-identified” member of ANTIFA, and a group known as the “Mayday Movement USA,” which states as its primary objective “President Trump's impeachment and removal” has acknowledged Stinson's role as the organization's founder.

Patel weighs in

Reacting to the arrest and charging of Stinson on Tuesday was Patel, who noted that the defendant had made notable references to the aforementioned “destructive” Instagram post made by Comey earlier this year.

The message at issue depicted a formation of seashells Comey claimed to have found during a stroll on the beach, spelling out “86 47,” interpreted by many observers as a sly reference to the concept of “taking out” the 47^th president of the United States -- Donald Trump.

Speaking about the allegations against Stinson, Patel stated, “This is a guy who threatened President Trump's life using the '86 47' language.”

Patel continued, “Tragically, this case was predictable,” adding that when Comey's post first emerged, “it forced the FBI to pull numerous agents off critical portfolios, taking key personnel away from important initiatives protecting the American people to deal with an overwhelming number of copycats following Comey's lead and posting threatening messages against the president of the United States.”

The director concluded, “Thankfully, law enforcement did excellent work preventing a potential violent actor, and we'll continue to be on guard.”

Stinson sent home

As Fox News reported separately, a federal judge on Wednesday allowed Stinson to be released to home detention with GPS monitoring, doing so against the wishes of prosecutors.

Judge Ivan Davis indicated his belief that Stinson does not pose a threat to the broader community, though considering the volume and intensity of his violent rhetoric -- combined with his military experience as a sharpshooter -- it seems certain that many of the president's supporters would strongly disagree.