President Donald Trump sharply criticized Virginia Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones on Sunday, calling him “an animal” after reports surfaced that Jones had sent text messages fantasizing about the deaths of a Republican lawmaker and his children.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump was asked about the controversy surrounding Jones, whose campaign has been dogged by revelations first reported by the National Review. The publication detailed messages in which Jones allegedly described violent fantasies involving a political opponent and the opponent’s family.
When a reporter raised Jones’s name, Trump reacted with visible disgust. “Jay Jones, you mean the one that wanted to kill somebody’s children and kill somebody?” he said. “You mean the animal that wanted to kill somebody? Who should not be allowed to be running for that office?”
Pressed further on whether he planned to get involved in the Virginia race, Trump dismissed Jones as unfit for public service. “He’s a third-rate intellect,” Trump said. “I’ve never seen anybody say what he said. That he wanted to kill his opponent’s children, he wanted to kill his opponent. No, I can’t imagine anybody voting for Jay Jones.”
Trump went on to question how Jones could remain a viable candidate after the allegations, suggesting that others in similar circumstances would face criminal prosecution. “Look, you would think he’s totally discredited,” Trump continued. “I would think he wouldn’t even be allowed to do that. Anybody would be put in prison for what he said.”
The president’s comments came after Jones, during a debate last week, vowed that if elected, he would “see the Trump administration in court,” promising aggressive legal challenges against federal policies he deemed harmful to Virginians. Trump brushed off the threat, linking Jones’s rhetoric to what he described as a broader Democratic obsession with litigation and resistance.
“He can join the long list of attorney generals that have been suing and losing,” Trump said. “But the people of this country want law, they want order, they want safety, they don’t want to be mugged, or raped, or shot. And that’s what we provide.”
The president used the exchange to tout his administration’s record on crime and public safety, pointing to falling crime rates under his leadership. “We have tremendous numbers, also,” Trump said. “You see the crime numbers are coming way down, way down. Then you take a look at a place like Washington, D.C., which is now one of the safest cities in the country. It was one of the worst cities, most dangerous cities.”
Jones, who has not denied sending the controversial text messages, has faced mounting calls to withdraw from the race. His campaign has not responded publicly to Trump’s remarks.
For Trump, the episode underscores what he often portrays as a moral double standard in American politics — one where Democrats, despite serious scandals or violent rhetoric, face little accountability. “No,” he said of Jones’s candidacy, “I can’t imagine anybody voting for Jay Jones.”
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