Three University of South Alabama students were arrested and charged with threatening President Donald Trump after federal investigators uncovered a series of social media posts in the days before his campaign rally on the Mobile campus, according to federal affidavits unsealed Friday afternoon.
The charges were made public just hours before Trump was scheduled to take the stage at the university's Mitchell Center. The president proceeded with the evening rally as planned, returning to Mobile roughly 11 years after his 2015 event in the city during the opening months of his first presidential campaign.
Federal investigators identified the students while conducting social media intelligence searches ahead of the visit, using emergency disclosure requests and information from University of South Alabama police, according to the affidavits. One student allegedly wrote a threatening remark toward Trump under a TikTok post about the planned campus visit. A second student allegedly posted on X that people would remember the University of South Alabama the same way they remember Utah Valley University, a reference investigators noted to the campus where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot last year. A third student allegedly replied to a TikTok post about Trump's appearance.
Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said earlier in the week that his office was assisting federal authorities as they monitored social media activity related to the president's upcoming appearance. The university said ahead of the event that the rally was not university-sponsored and that the Mitchell Center had been rented by the Republican National Committee.
In a statement, the University of South Alabama said it unequivocally condemns any form of threats directed at elected officials or any individual with whom the community disagrees. The university said it encourages open dialogue and active civic participation, noting that having a difference of opinion is a natural part of any vibrant community. However, the statement added, there is a clear line between exercising free expression and engaging in intimidation or unlawful conduct.
The arrests reflect heightened security scrutiny of online activity surrounding high-profile political events, particularly campus appearances by the president. Federal investigators routinely conduct social media monitoring before such visits, and the use of emergency disclosure requests allows authorities to obtain subscriber information from platforms when they believe there is an imminent threat.
Trump took the stage Friday evening as scheduled. During his remarks, he recalled the 2015 rally that helped launch his first presidential campaign, telling the crowd that it sort of all began there. He also recognized Burch and University of South Alabama President Jo Bonner from the stage.
The case remains under federal review. Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Justice, the FBI, the Secret Service and the University of South Alabama for additional information. The charges against the three students were unsealed as the rally proceeded, underscoring the rapid sequence of events that unfolded on campus Friday.