RICHMOND, Va. (7News) — President Donald Trump has called on Democrat Jay Jones to exit the race for attorney general in Virginia after screenshots surfaced of text messages reportedly sent by Jones in 2022 that wished violence against then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert.
The president wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday, saying in part: “Democrat Jay Jones should drop out of the Race, IMMEDIATELY, and the People of Virginia must continue to have a GREAT Attorney General in Jason Miyares who, by the way, has my Complete and Total Endorsement — JASON WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
Screenshots of the texts showed Jones talking about shooting Gilbert, and messages in the chat implied a previous conversation that suggested Jones had made negative comments about Gilbert’s children.
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“Three people, two bullets… Gilbert, Hitler, and Pol Pot…. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” the messages read in part. Jones had already resigned from his seat at the time the texts were sent.
Vice President JD Vance reiterated Trump’s call for Jones to step down, calling him a “very deranged person.”
The text messages were exposed just ahead of the general election, where Jones is running against Republican incumbent Jason Miyares.
Jones has issued an apology for the remarks, saying in a statement:
“I take full responsibility for my actions, and I want to issue my deepest apology to Speaker Gilbert and his family. Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry. I have reached out to Speaker Gilbert to apologize directly to him, his wife Jennifer, and their children. I cannot take back what I said; I can only take full accountability and offer my sincere apology. Virginians deserve honest leaders who admit when they are wrong and own up to their mistakes. This was a grave mistake and I will work every day to prove to the people of Virginia that I will fight for them as Attorney General.”