Vanessa Trump speaks out for the first time about fake anthrax threat, shows bipartisan solidarity

After pipe bombs were sent to 12 people critical of Donald Trump this week, supporters of the president have downplayed the frightening nature of this act of terrorism. But one member of the Trump family, Vanessa Trump, came out on Friday to share her own experience of being the victim of a threat like this.

In February, Vanessa opened an envelope containing white powder that was addressed to her now-estranged husband, Donald Trump Jr. Though the powder was not believed to be anthrax, she went to the hospital as a precaution.

After suspect Cesar Sayoc was arrested for allegedly sending pipe bombs to George Soros, Hillary Clinton, and others, Vanessa sent a statement to Axios about her own experience receiving a suspicious package. “This is personal for me because I know firsthand what it is like to be targeted and terrorized by a coward with a vendetta,” the mother of five said, after applauding law enforcement for their work on the pipe bomb case.

“Back in February I opened an envelope intended for my husband Don, which covered my face, hands and clothing in white powder and left me terrified,” she continued. “I was rushed to the hospital, evaluated and put on Cipro for the longest two weeks of my life, and while they worked to identify whether the white powder was deadly, I spent the entire time thinking about the horrifying possibility that I would never see my five beautiful children again.”

While she was physically unharmed, Vanessa said that all these months later, she still experiences fear when she opens her mail.

“These recent acts are the acts of a coward and nothing more than terrorism, pure and simple,” she said. “No one, regardless of political party or ideology, should ever have to go through what I went through.”

Her words are a contrast to those of several Republicans, who suggested that the bombs were fake. On Friday, her soon-to-be ex-husband liked a tweet that suggested the powder in the bombs was baby powder and that the whole thing was a conspiracy to gain votes for Democrats in the midterm elections. Donald Trump Jr. apparently unliked the tweet later.

Back in February, Trump Jr. was on the opposite side of this debate, as people questioned his theory that the possible anthrax threat was from a political enemy.

The FBI has clearly stated that the pipe bombs were not “hoax” devices. Even if they had been, Vanessa’s statement illustrates how scary such a threat would be.

On Saturday, the president’s eldest son responded to her statement with a more somber tone than usual. He expressed pride in Vanessa and tried to separate such threats from any one political party.

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