It could be a hoax. It could be a bunch of kids having fun. It could be a lot of things; this is the internet, after all.
Or it could be deadly serious.
A startling and unsettling story appeared today — a story that was immediately amplified when the Drudge Report posted it: “A dark web ‘hitman’ is promising to kill Trump — if he raises $30,000 in crypto.”
The message appeared on the so-called dark web — part of the internet with hidden websites and secret messages that are only accessible with specialized software, such as the Tor browser. You’re not going to stumble upon the dark web via Google or Facebook.
It’s where criminals network, organize, and sell their wares. You can find everything on the dark web: drugs, guns, contraband, human trafficking — absolutely anything you can think of.
Including hitmen.
Two weeks ago, a website went up on the dark web entitled “Destroy Trump.” It included an image of the president-elect with a red “X” over his face. Only a few words were posted. [Warning: Explicit Language]:
DESTROY TRUMP
Trump is bulls**t. Trump is the death of America.
I can help. I am terminally ill. I’m going to die soon. I want to do something good for this country and for this world. I want to kill Trump.
I have the right skills. I have the right acquaintances. I have a plan.
I need your help. I need money. Even [a] dollar will help. I need to raise $30000. We don’t have much time left.
Please help me! Let’s do it together!
Below the message are a pair of cryptocurrency addresses for “supporters” to send him Bitcoin or Minero.
Chillingly, the would-be assassin claims to have already raised $13,245. That leaves him less than $17,000 from his goal.
The outlet that reported this story, the Daily Dot, claimed to have examined the public ledger of both cryptocurrencies: If he already raised $13,245, it wasn’t with the two listed. But the nature of the dark web — plus the anonymity of crypto — makes it impossible to determine if there are multiple sites and multiple cryptos, or how long this “hitman” has been soliciting funds.
And after this story was amplified today by Drudge’s fading-but-still-considerable bullhorn, who knows what the hell will happen.
Armed with crypto, Antifa members, Hamas boosters, and other anti-Trump thugs can send money without detection. There are certainly pockets of people — and dark places on the ‘net where they communicate — who truly, wholeheartedly believe that Trump is “literally Hitler.”
Therefore, murder isn’t only justified, but it’s also a moral imperative.
More than 40% of young people believe that Luigi Mangione’s alleged murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was justified. Believe me, 99% of violent far-left thugs despise Donald Trump FAR MORE than a guy like Brian Thompson!
This so-called hitman will probably reach his fundraising goal now. It’s simple supply and demand. (Thanks for the PR, Drudge! You deserve a cut!)
The Daily Dot also claimed that it reached out to the Secret Service and asked if anyone in the federal government was aware of the threat. But the Secret Service is still under the direction of the Biden-Harris administration, so naturally, nobody bothered responding to the inquiry.
The prior conduct of the Secret Service doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
From the Middle East through Europe and into the United States, we seem to have entered an era of increased assassinations. There were the targeted decapitations of Hamas and Hezbollah (beep-beep!), the murder of a Russian general in Moscow, the murder of Brian Thompson in New York, and a pair of near-misses with Trump.
This is the world we’re living in now.
More likely than not, this particular “hitman” website is a fundraising scam. But there are going to be copycats. Lots and lots of copycats.
And there are more than enough Trump-hating liberals to fund all kinds of criminal activities.
The election might be over, but our nation’s still paying a steep price for the Democrat’s over-the-top hysterics of portraying Trump as a fascist, a dictator, the death of democracy, and “literally Hitler.”
Unless the Secret Service ups its game, the cost could be the life of the president-elect. This is serious stuff.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member