Florida man called for Trump gunman to be given congressional Medal of Honor: ‘Why is Trump allowed to live?’

‘Some people need to be better shots if they know they are going to kill a monster,’ Michael Wiseman allegedly wrote in one social media post

James Liddell
Tuesday 30 July 2024 16:28 BST
Related video: Trump rally shooter may have had ‘antisemitic’ social media account that embraced ‘political violence’: FBI
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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A Florida man has been accused of urging that Donald Trump’s would-be assassin deserves a “congressional Medal of Honor” despite lamenting that he wasn’t a “better shot” in a series of disturbing Facebook threats.

Michael Wiseman, 68, from Jupiter, Florida, was arrested by officers from local police on July 19 following a string of social media threats just days after the attempt on Trump’s life.

Trump took the stand at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 when Thomas Crooks fired eight rounds towards the former president striking him in the ear and ausing blood to gush down his face.

Michael Wiseman was arrested after allegedly posting a string of sickening Facebook posts about Donald Trump, JD Vance and their daughters
Michael Wiseman was arrested after allegedly posting a string of sickening Facebook posts about Donald Trump, JD Vance and their daughters (Palm Beach County Jail)

His life was spared by an unintended action: turning his head “the exact right time and in just the right amount,” the Republican presidential nominee said two days after the shooting.

He credited either luck or divine intervention for sparing him.

Wiseman, however, did not appear to share the same gratitude over Trump’s near-miss.

Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event in Butler
Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event in Butler (AFP via Getty)

“Some people need to be better shots if they know they are going to kill a monster,” one of his messages read, an affidavit first obtained by Law&Crime suggests.

A joint investigation was launched into Wiseman between the Secret Service, Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office and Jupiter Police Department after authorities received “multiple online crime tips,” according to court documents.

Wiseman was interviewed and arrested on July 19 and placed into county jail at just past 6.40pm that evening. The state has until August 29 to file additional charges, with the defendant facing up to 40 years in prison.

He was arraigned the following morning and pleaded not guilty to one count of written or electronic threats to kill or inflict bodily harm.

Two days prior to his arrest, Wiseman also attacked Ohio senator JD Vance, who became Trump’s running mate on July 17. In one particularly sickening post, he suggested sexual violence against both of their daughters.

“I am advocating Trump and Vance’s daughters get raped and THEN tell me they won’t fly their kids out of the USA for an abortion,” he wrote.

Wiseman also allegedly wrote abuse on other social media sites to share his disdain towards Trump.

“The shooter missed,” he allegedly wrote on X. “He can’t be the only patriot. C***sucker, mother and daughter f***er Trump.”

He also took to X rival, Threads, according to the affidavit, and wrote: “Why is Trump allowed to be alive? We need to train patriots.

“Thomas Matthew Crooks deserves a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor, a stamp, and a national holiday.”

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