By Jonathan Allen and Zoë Richards -
NBC News
The authorities of Palm Beach County, Florida, went to the home of Donald Trump Jr. this Monday after the son of former President Trump received an envelope with a death threat and white powder inside it.
The response by Palm Beach County firefighters was first reported by The Daily Beast.
A spokesperson for the former president's son confirmed the incident to NBC News.
The spokesperson stated that the results of tests to identify the white substance were inconclusive, but that authorities at the scene
did not believe it was lethal
.
Donald Trump Jr., in New York, on November 1, 2023. Alec Tabak / AP file
A Palm Beach County fire department spokesperson referred NBC News to the Secret Service, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night.
In an interview with The Daily Caller, Trump Jr. claimed it was "the second envelope with a white powdery substance that has been sent to him in the mail."
[Russia already interferes in the US elections with messages about the border and indirect aid from Trump]
"It's become all too common for this kind of thing to happen," he told the website.
"No matter what your politics are,
this kind of garbage is unacceptable
."
This Monday's incident occurs amid a series of threats against political candidates and public officials.
A New Hampshire man was charged in December with sending threatening text messages to three presidential candidates, including Republicans Vivek Ramaswamy and Chris Christie, who have since dropped out of the race.
Separately, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley – the former president's only major opponent in the Republican presidential primary – was the subject of
two incidents of false report calls to try to lure police SWAT tactical response teams to her home in
New Year.
[Experts believe that Haley will be like DeSantis: running out of money to campaign]
In recent years, some measures have been taken to strengthen the protection of public officials and their families.
President Joe Biden signed a law in 2022 to provide security for the families of Supreme Court justices, after an armed man was detained outside the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.