Raymond Chandler III, a declared candidate for the Democratic Senate primary in 2028 from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, was apprehended by Secret Service agents on May 1 for reportedly directing serious threats at President Donald Trump and a senator’s daughter.
Court filings reveal that Chandler left a series of threatening voicemails for a Congress member from April 2025 to April 2026. Throughout these messages, he shared his identity and address, referring to the recipient as a “Senator” while expressing his grievances about wealth inequality.
In a voicemail dated April 18, 2026, Chandler presented a chilling hypothetical involving billionaires. He described a situation where wealthy individuals’ homes are surrounded by a crowd. “Sir, I have, uh, I’m calling this morning because I want you to imagine a scenario. I want you to envision a future where all the 1,200 billionaires in this country find their properties encircled simultaneously by a thousand people. Imagine your house, your daughter’s house, everyone you know and love who is also rich,” he stated to the recipient.
“Then imagine them all receiving a text and then suddenly pulling out their knives, walking towards your house while your guards fight against a thousand people, and they come and drag you out of your house and harm you and your daughter. That is where we are headed, sir, due to the terrible wealth concentration in this country,” Chandler elaborated.
A later voicemail, recorded around April 28, 2026, called for the assassination of the president.
“You’ve probably grown accustomed to my voice. Sir, I’m calling because I want you to take a firearm, walk into the Oval Office, and harm the President. I am petitioning for you to act on our grievances,” Chandler demanded, repeatedly referring to Trump as “the antichrist.”
Other messages included Chandler’s support for armed resistance against ICE and his statement about buying a combat knife out of fear for his safety. The specific member of Congress he threatened remains unnamed in the court documents.
Democrat with a “be kind” poster was just arrested for threatening to kiII Trump
Can’t make this up pic.twitter.com/kfyupNh72Q
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 3, 2026
Chandler had recently declared his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, running against the incumbent John Fetterman (D-PA). In a video announcement, Chandler mentioned that he had lost a job and decided to pursue public office, identifying as a Quaker, a Christian, a Buddhist, and a follower of the way of Hermes, claiming he “comes as a sword.”
His video displayed him against a backdrop of a banner reading “Be Kind.”
Chandler appeared in federal court in Pittsburgh on May 1 to face charges, with a preliminary hearing set for May 8.
