Florida Woman Arrested After Instagram Post Threatening to Shoot Trump

Mascara ran down Allison Jeanne Albro's cheeks in her mugshot. The 21-year-old Florida woman faced charges after allegedly threatening to shoot Donald Trump. Her heavy makeup lay in ruins while she sobbed for the camera.

Volusia County Sheriff's Office hauled her into custody on Thursday. They charged her with written threats to kill and unlawful use of a communications device. The arrest stemmed from an Instagram post she shared hours earlier. Albro announced plans to attend a Trump rally scheduled for Friday night in Daytona Beach.

"Going to the Trump rally in my city tmr so I can shoot him with my glock! wish me luck guys!!" she wrote over a selfie. The photo showed her smirking slightly at the camera. She wore bright pink blush and dark black eye makeup.

The FBI and US Secret Service uncovered the post quickly. They flagged it for removal and alerted local law enforcement. Volusia County Sheriff's Office moved in. Hours later, Albro sat in a jail cell. Her mugshot captured the aftermath of her arrest. Blotches of bright color scattered across her face.

Sheriff Mike Chitwood announced her arrest on X on Friday. "We are not going to tolerate threats to assassinate the president," he stated. He added that Albro was "learning that the hard way." Chitwood shared screenshots of her Instagram post and her mugshot.

"She posted this last night and got a visit from our office's Domestic Security Unit and the Secret Service," the sheriff wrote. Albro claimed she was only joking with the post. She said she does not have access to a Glock or any other weapon. She insisted she would never hurt anyone.

"Today she's sitting in jail," Chitwood added.

I would strongly advise anyone else thinking of posting a 'joke' along these lines to think twice."

Volusia County deputies arrived at Albro's home after the Secret Service flagged an alleged threat. She broke down in tears immediately, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Orlando Sentinel. She told officers she knew exactly why they were there. She had deleted the post after a conversation with her mother, who allegedly warned her about the potential for arrest. Albro insisted her words were intended as a joke. She claimed she did not own a Glock, that she dislikes guns, and that despite her dislike of Trump, she never intended to shoot anyone. Investigators searched her home but found no weapons or ammunition, according to the court documents.

Albro, whose latest voter records show she is a registered Republican, was booked into Volusia County Jail. She is being held without bond. She appeared before a judge on Friday, fighting back tears as she stood alongside several other female inmates and learned she would remain behind bars, WFTV 9 News reported.

"We are not going to tolerate threats to assassinate the president," Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said in an X post announcing her arrest, adding that Albro was "learning that the hard way."

"The fact that a person with whom the threats were directed was the president of the United States on the day that the president is going to be here in Daytona Beach," the judge told her, according to the outlet. Prosecutors have not yet moved to have her held in custody pending trial, WESH 2 News reported.

"VSO continues to work hand in hand with the Secret Service, FBI and all our law enforcement partners to ensure this presidential visit to Daytona Beach is a safe event for all who attend, and for our whole community," Sheriff Chitwood wrote. Authorities had also vowed to ramp up security across the area in preparation for Trump's arrival and the rally.

Trump touched down in Daytona Beach aboard Air Force One on Friday, with the highly anticipated midterm elections that will determine control of Congress fast approaching. But his rally alongside US Representative Byron Donalds, the GOP nominee for Florida governor, got underway nearly an hour after its scheduled 7pm start time. About an hour into his remarks, Trump paused to wipe his eye with a napkin dipped in a cup of water, briefly interrupting his speech as he struggled to keep the eye open.

"Do you mind? I’ve got something in my eye. Watch this," the president said.

"Ah, that’s so much better," he added before tossing the remaining water from his cup toward the audience behind him. "I wish I had little eyedrops." Trump also took shots at critics who had suggested his health was behind the initial cancellation of this weekend's rallies.

If I did, they'd say I was seriously ill, that there's something wrong with me," he stated. The comment followed his sudden cancellation of two weekend events in Kansas and Iowa. That move sparked immediate health rumors, even as he maintained he felt "perfect." Organizers later restored both rallies on Friday, a few days before Tuesday's elections.

Trump has survived several assassination attempts and security threats in recent years. In July 2024, a shooter opened fire at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump sustained an ear wound during the attack. One person died, and two others were injured. Police killed the gunman, Thomas Crooks.

The danger continued that September. Ryan Routh was arrested outside Trump's West Palm Beach golf course after witnesses spotted him with a rifle. He received a life sentence earlier this year.