President Donald Trump endorsed Virginia Republican attorney general candidate and current Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, and called for Virginia Democrat attorney general candidate Jay Jones to “drop out of the race” over comments he made entertaining thoughts of shooting a Republican politician.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump referenced a recent report from the National Review that revealed that Jones had allegedly sent text messages to Virginia House Delegate Carrie Coyner (R) in 2022, complaining about his Republican colleagues “eulogizing” a recently deceased Democrat colleague. Jones also pondered a hypothetical situation in which, if he had to pick between shooting “two dictators” or former Virginia Speaker of the House of Delegates Todd Gilbert, he would pick Gilbert “every time.”
Jay Jones addresses supporters after winning the Democratic nomination for Virginia Attorney General as wife Mavis Jones looks on in Norfolk, Virginia, on June 17, 2025. (Trevor Metcalfe/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Trump noted that Miyares has his “Complete and Total Endorsement.”
“It has just come out that the Radical Left Lunatic, Jay Jones, who is running against Jason Miyares, the GREAT Attorney General in Virginia, made SICK and DEMENTED jokes, if they were jokes at all, which were not funny, and that he wrote down and sent around to people, concerning the murdering of a Republican Legislator, his wife, and their children,” Trump said.
The Washington Post also reported that a spokesman for Coyner revealed that Coyner and Jones had engaged in a phone conversation, and that after that phone conversation their “text conversation continued.” During the text conversation, Jones allegedly “talked about Gilbert’s children dying in the arms of their mother.”
Trump continued to criticize Virginia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger for being “weak and ineffective” and refusing to “acknowledge what” Jones has done.
“Even Democrats are saying it is ‘RESIGNATION FROM CAMPAIGN’ TERRITORY,” Trump continued. “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!”
Breitbart News reported that in an interview with ABC 8News reporter Tyler Englander, Jones was asked how Virginians could “trust a man who said something so horrific.” Jones stated that he was “so deeply, deeply, sorry” for his comments.
In a statement, Miyares expressed that the recent report of Jones’ past comment showed that it was clear that Jones “has shown he’s reckless, biased, and willing to trade away his integrity.” Miyares also noted that Jones’ “conduct is disqualifying.”
“The Attorney General is Virginia’s Chief Law Enforcement Officer,” Miyares said. “That authority must always be exercised with neutrality, integrity, and character — because that’s the only way every Virginian can trust the system meant to protect them. With the recent revelations, it’s clear Jay Jones has shown he’s reckless, biased, and willing to trade away his integrity, disqualifying himself from ever serving as Attorney General.”
“As a former prosecutor and current Attorney General, I’ve sat with crying victims and grieving families,” Miyares continued. “There is no sound more haunting than the cries of a parent who has lost a child. I’ve seen their pain, held their hands, and witnessed the devastation that violent crime leaves behind. Absolutely no one, least of all a candidate for Virginia’s top law-enforcement office, should ever treat that pain as a political tool.”
“Prior to this week, this race was about competing views on public safety,” Miyares added. “Now it’s about basic fitness for public office.”
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