The political world is always full of tension. But this crosses the line.
And a leading Republican was slapped with terrifying threats that will send a chill down your spine.
A Senator Under Siege: Thom Tillis Faces Threats and Protests in a Divided America
On a tense Thursday afternoon, the office of Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., pulled back the curtain on a disturbing wave of harassment and death threats aimed at the senator, his staff, and even his family. A memo released by his team paints a chilling picture of hostility fueled by outrage over President Donald Trump’s policies, revealing a reality where vitriol has become routine for those in public service.
The evidence is stark: voicemails dripping with profanity and menace, shared publicly by Tillis’ office, highlight the intensity of the backlash. “Yeah, Thom Tillis, afraid of death threats? Then get the f— out of office,” one caller snarled. Another, a woman, declared, “You are not going to destroy my country,” while a third warned Tillis he’s “not one of the good guys anymore” and demanded he “get the f— out of government.” These messages, raw and unfiltered, reflect a deep well of anger directed at the senator.
Daniel Keylin, Tillis’ senior advisor, didn’t mince words. “The volume of threats and harassment directed at members of Congress and their staff is the new normal,” he said, a statement that carries the weight of exhaustion and resignation. The memo details a particularly unsettling handwritten letter, postmarked last month from Greensboro and sent to Tillis’ Greenville office.
Unsigned and cryptic, it labeled his staff “sacrificial lambs” who “signed up to be his shield.” The anonymous author insisted, “in no way is this a threat,” yet warned that “when things get really bad, people are going to stop calling and writing. They’re going to start coming in, and they’re going to be coming in filled with rage.” The letter closed with a grim suggestion: “Resign, please resign, or find a Groupon for self defense class because America’s transition to oligarchy is going to be a wild ride for us peons.”
That phrase—“America’s transition to oligarchy”—echoes a rallying cry from the political left, where fears of a billionaire elite tightening their grip on power have gained traction. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has tapped into this sentiment, drawing massive crowds to his “Fighting Oligarchy” rallies, including recent stops in Michigan and Wisconsin.
His events promise a platform to “discuss how we take on the greed of the billionaire class and create a government that works for all and not just the few.” Meanwhile, Democrats fumed when Trump invited tycoons like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg to his inauguration, a move that amplified accusations of an emerging oligarchy.
Former President Joe Biden leaned into the term in his January 13 farewell address, warning, “Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.”
The threats against Tillis escalated beyond words. Two weeks after the letter arrived, Indivisible Guilford County—a local chapter of a progressive activist group—staged a protest outside his Greensboro office. Though the group’s press release called for peaceful demonstration and “solidarity,” Keylin described a more aggressive scene: protesters “angrily yanked and attempted to open the office’s locked door,” shouting, “Come back, we see you! Open the door!” and taunting staff trapped inside with no exit.
For Keylin, this incident was a breaking point. When media asked if Tillis would attend planned protests or town halls in Republican districts, he shot back, “I imagine anyone with a modicum of sanity would understand what a silly question that is.” Citing years of escalating threats since Trump’s return to power, he noted that law enforcement has advised the office to work remotely on protest days “out of an abundance of caution.” “We will not make any apologies for prioritizing the safety and security of our staff,” Keylin added.
The memo also revisits past incidents that highlight the persistent danger Tillis faces. In 2023, a U.S. citizen living out of the country was arrested for threatening to k*ll the senator and sever his staffers’ hands.
A year earlier, a Minnesota man faced indictment for similar threats. “Senator Tillis, his staff, and even his family have long been subject to threats, harassment, attempted intimidation, and verbal abuse from unstable individuals who don’t agree with his political view,” Keylin wrote.
This hostility has reshaped how lawmakers engage with the public. Protests have derailed town halls and disrupted local offices over the past two months, prompting Republicans to pivot to tele-town halls rather than risk in-person events.
Democrats, in turn, have accused them of dodging constituents’ concerns. Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., plans to host town halls in Republican districts in Iowa and Nebraska this Friday “to lend a megaphone to the people,” while Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is reportedly organizing her own rallies in GOP territory.
Meanwhile, MoveOn.org—a group bankrolled by billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Policy Center—has launched a “Congress Works for Us, Not Musk” campaign, promising protests at congressional offices and town halls to counter what it calls the “Trump-Musk agenda.”
For Tillis and his team, the threats are more than political noise—they’re a daily reality that’s forced a retreat from public spaces.
As Keylin put it, the question isn’t whether the senator will face his critics head-on, but how anyone could expect him to in a climate this volatile.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
