Trump calls Virginia AG candidate Jay Jones an ‘animal’ over violent texts

President Donald Trump condemned Democratic nominee for Virginia attorney general Jay Jones Sunday as an “animal”, saying that anyone else would end up “in prison” for his text messages wishing death to his political opponents.

Trump made the comments while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, just days after Jones repeatedly criticized the president during a campaign debate in Virginia last week. Reporters asked Trump if he planned to enter the attorney general contest.

“You mean the one who wanted to kill some of his children and kill someone? You mean the animal who wanted to kill someone who shouldn’t be allowed to run for that office?” Trump said when asked about Jones.

“He’s a third-rate intellect, he’s a guy who — I’ve never seen anyone say what he said, that he wanted to kill his opponent’s children — he wanted to kill his opponent,” Trump said. “I can’t imagine anyone voting for Jay Jones. Look, you’d think he’s totally discredited. I don’t think he would even be allowed to do that; anyone would be put in jail for what he said.”

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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press on October 19, 2025 aboard Air Force One. The president returns to Washington, DC, after spending his weekend at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“He may join a long list of attorneys general who have sued and lost,” Trump added.

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In messages first reported earlier this month, Jones texted Virginia state Rep. Carrie Coyner in 2022, imagining a scenario in which he would choose to “shoot two bullets” into the head of then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, describing Gilbert as worse than dictators Pol Pot and Adolf Hitler.

Jones also called Gilbert’s young children “fascists” during the exchange.

Jones has since apologized for the text messages and says he is now “embarrassed” by them.

Jay Jones, a candidate for Virginia attorney general in 2025, has come under fire for a series of text messages calling for the deaths of political opponents. (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images)

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The controversy, however, did not stop prominent Virginia Democrats from supporting Jones. Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger supported Jones before the controversy and has since refused to withdraw her support. His campaign website also still sells Jones-branded merchandise.

The Republican Governors Association, which supports Spanberger’s opponent, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, criticized Spanberger’s campaign for continuing to market Jones-branded products more than a week after texts surfaced describing him contemplating the murder of a GOP leader and his children.

Abigail Spanberger has refused to withdraw her support for Jay Jones following his text controversy. (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images)

“Jay Jones threatened to murder his political opponent and their children, and Abigail Spanberger is still fully supporting him and trying to make money off of this,” Kollin Crompton, RGA’s director of rapid response, told Fox News Digital.

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“If Spanberger is willing to put partisan politics ahead of doing the right thing and resisting political violence, how can she be trusted as governor?” » asked Crompton.

Charles Creitz of Fox News contributed to this report.