Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of former President Donald Trump and a key figure in GOP politics, found himself at the center of a concerning incident on Monday. Emergency crews rushed to his Florida home after he found a letter containing an unidentified white substance along with a death threat.
Hazmat unit, known for handling hazardous material incidents, also reached Trump Jr's home that he co-owns with his fiancé Kimberly Guilfoyle, after he opened the letter and white powder reportedly came flying out of it. Initial test results conducted on the substance came up inconclusive, but officials on the scene do not believe it is deadly, a spokesperson for Trump Jr. said.
The former President's eldest son expressed his outrage on media and political system over the issue saying, "If this happened to a prominent Democrat it wouldn't be tolerated and would drive news coverage for weeks."
This marks the second instance where an envelope containing white powder has been sent to Trump Jr. In 2018, Vanessa Trump, his then-wife, was taken to a New York City hospital after opening an envelope addressed to her husband. The envelope contained an unidentified white powder, but subsequent investigations by the police determined that the substance wasn't dangerous.
In another incident in March 2016, police and FBI agents looked into a threatening letter sent to the Manhattan apartment of Trump Jr.'s brother Eric. Like the previous incident, this letter also contained a white powder, which was later confirmed to be harmless.
These incidents are reminiscent of the fear-inducing tactics employed in 2001 when letters containing deadly anthrax were mailed to news organizations and the offices of two US senators, resulting in the tragic deaths of five people. Hoax attacks using white powder capitalize on these lingering fears and evoke memories of past tragedies.
Authorities are currently investigating the incident in Florida, with the Jupiter police deferring the matter to the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office, which is collaborating with the Secret Service. This incident adds to a string of similar occurrences, including white powder being sent to Trump Tower during his 2016 presidential campaign, echoing fears stemming from the deadly anthrax attacks in 2001.
Trump Jr has been targeted in such incidents in the past, underlining ongoing security concerns surrounding high-profile individuals in American politics.
