The Secret Service is investigating a Michigan nurse, identified as Rhonda Lee, after a video surfaced in which she made graphic threats against President Donald Trump, including statements that she wanted to drive to Washington, D.C., with a knife and cut his throat. The footage, shared online by the independent outlet Right Angle News Network, shows Lee using repeated profanity and expressing a desire for Trump to die. The comments quickly spread across social media and drew widespread condemnation.
Lee was identified as a former employee of the University of Michigan Medical Center, where she worked from March 2000 until 2023. In response to the controversy, the medical center said she has not worked there since 2023 and confirmed it is cooperating with investigators. The institution also distanced itself from her remarks.
The Secret Service said it treats any possible threat to the president or other protected individuals as a serious matter. Communications chief Anthony Guglielmi said the agency continuously monitors information streams as part of its protective intelligence mission and thoroughly investigates anything that could be perceived as a threat. Officials did not provide further details about the case.
The video prompted strong backlash online, with many social media users calling for Lee to lose her nursing license and be removed from the profession. Critics said someone making such threats should not be trusted to care for patients, especially elderly or vulnerable people. The reaction also reflected broader concern about political extremism and hostility being expressed by healthcare workers on social media.
The incident comes amid a series of similar controversies involving nurses and other professionals posting anti-Trump comments online. In May, a nurse at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles drew attention after reacting to a post about a shooting incident and suggesting the attacker should “up their game,” while expressing disappointment that Trump was not killed. Cedars-Sinai later said individual staff members’ social media posts do not represent the views of the hospital.
Earlier in the year, a Florida nurse, Joyce Schulz-Killian, posted a TikTok video urging countries including China, Canada and the United Kingdom to “attack” the United States to remove what she called Trump’s “regime.” She later defended the post as an attempt to show that not all Americans supported Trump and said she believed in constitutional government and checks on presidential power.
The Michigan case has intensified scrutiny of threatening political speech by medical workers and raised questions about professional conduct, public safety, and the consequences of online extremism. The investigation remains ongoing.
