A former Michigan professor attended a city council meeting and said that he was hoping to “shoot” President Trump with an item he had recently purchased. This prompted backlash and an investigation, with the man later saying that he was joking and that the item he poorly described was actually a camera lens.
A clip featuring the man’s brief remark at a Warren City Council meeting was shared by Fox 2 Detroit. The individual, retired professor and historian Wesley Arnold, attended the meeting in question, during which a local Amazon Prime store using drones to deliver packages was being discussed, as per C&G Newspapers.
However, for reasons still unknown, Arnold decided to issue an apparent threat directed at Trump while also criticizing the use of drones.
“I ordered a high-powered ATL 36X arriving shortly, which I hope to actually use to shoot the president of the United States. I’m not kidding,” he said. “This is a very high, powerful item. It’s great for a headshot at a distance. I didn’t want it to be delivered by drone because I wouldn’t want something like that to be in the wrong hands.”
Of course, many people argued that the man was referring to him getting a weapon to “shoot” the president. However, Warren City Council President Angela Rogensues later said that Arnold approached her and told her he was joking. He was actually referring to a camera lens and was trying to be “cheeky and clever in his rhetoric.”
Michigan Man Under Investigation
Authorities were alerted, and for good reason, they were not amused. Fox 2 Detroit reported that the Michigan man is now being investigated by the Secret Service. The law enforcement agency even removed a handgun from his home. He, however, has not been arrested.
Arnold sat down with the outlet and admitted that his speech seemed threatening. He revealed, however, that he wasn’t planning to actually shoot Trump, and it was all a misunderstanding.
“I’m in the habit of saying you shoot a headshot, or you shoot a picture rather than you take a picture,” he explained. When asked if he understood why people were confused, he answered, “Oh yeah, I blew it.”
Users online were not too kind with the Michigan man’s words and subsequent explanation. “When did it become normal to say things like this?” one user asked. Another said, “Oh, what a day in American politics.” A third commenter added, “Chill, dude. I hate Trump, too, but calm down.”
