Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

A list of everyone who’s been sent a pipe bomb so far — that we know of

All the targets have been vocal critics of President Trump.

2018 Carousel Of Hope Ball - Arrivals
2018 Carousel Of Hope Ball - Arrivals
Robert De Niro is the latest public figure who we know was sent a suspicious package.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

Since Monday, the authorities have recovered 12 “suspicious packages” containing explosive devices meant for prominent American liberals.

A trail of pipe bombs on the East Coast — and in one occasion, the West Coast — have targeted former presidents, administration officials, an actor and a billionaire, all tied in some way to the Democratic Party — and all proven critics of President Donald Trump.

Here’s who’s received the bombs so far.

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker

Booker is a rumored candidate for the Democratic nomination in 2020 — he’s even about to head to New Hampshire for get-out-the-vote events this weekend. In recent weeks, he’s also become a frequent target in Trump’s campaign rallies, particularly after his opposition to Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

James Clapper, former director of National Intelligence

Clapper, who served as Director of National Intelligence under President Obama and is a contributor to CNN, has been one of Trump’s most outspoken critics since he took office. He’s emphasized that Russia intervened in the 2016 election and become a hero of the anti-Trump resistance.

George Soros

Soros, a billionaire whose Open Society Foundation is one of the nation’s largest philanthropies, has also donated generously to Democrats. He has long been the target of right-leaning and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Most recently, Trump accused Soros of paying women to pretend to be the victims of sexual assault and protest Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

Former CIA director John Brennan

Brennan’s package was never delivered to him, as it was addressed to the CNN studio in Manhattan. Brennan does not work for CNN, but he frequently joins NBC and MSNBC as an analyst.

He doesn’t shy away from criticizing Trump: He told MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell this August that Trump is “dangerous to our nation.” The White House later revoked Brennan’s security clearance.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder

Holder, whose bomb never reached him, hasn’t been as much of a target for Trump as other intended bomb recipients., but after Holder called for Democrats to “kick” Republicans in the midterms earlier this month, Trump called him a “lowlife” to the New York Post.

Under Obama, though, Holder was a frequent target of criticism by the Republican Party and right-wing media. This was in part due to the “Fast and Furious” scandal, which was covered extensively in right-wing media; it was also because Holder, a close personal friend of Obama, often made blunt comments about race and racism that the president himself could not. (Vox’s Dara Lind wrote more about this in 2015.)

US Rep. Maxine Waters

Waters, a 14-term House member who represents California’s 43rd Congressional District, has clashed frequently with Trump this year — most recently this summer when she encouraged liberals to confront Republicans in public places. She’s ended up as something of a national face of the Democratic Party, and also a frequent target for Trump, who routinely refers to her in rallies and has criticized her in tweetstorms as a “low IQ person.”

Robert De Niro

De Niro has often been associated with the Democratic Party, supporting both Obama and Hillary Clinton during their candidacies. He’s also been a fierce Trump critic, calling him “blatantly stupid” during his presidential campaign.

At the 72nd Tony Awards held earlier this year, De Niro received a standing ovation when he once more denounced Trump. “I’m gonna say one thing. Fuck Trump. It’s no longer ‘down with Trump.’ It’s ‘fuck Trump.’” The president then retaliated on his Twitter feed, calling De Niro a “Low IQ individual” whom he believes to be “punch-drunk.”

Former Vice President Joe Biden

As the former two-term vice president and a frequently rumored 2020 presidential candidate, Biden is one of the nation’s highest-profile Democrats. This March, Biden condemned Trump over his previous crude remarks about women, telling a crowd at the University of Miami: “They asked me would I like to debate this gentleman, and I said no. I said, ‘If we were in high school, I’d take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him.”

In response to the event, Trump tweeted: “Crazy Joe Biden is trying to act like a tough guy. Actually, he is weak, both mentally and physically, and yet he threatens me, for the second time, with physical assault. He doesn’t know me, but he would go down fast and hard, crying all the way. Don’t threaten people Joe!”

Barack and Michelle Obama

The explosive device sent to the Obamas early Wednesday was successfully intercepted by the Secret Service before it reached them. The former president has long been a target of right-wing radicals, often receiving criticism from the current administration, too, over his policies.

Bill and Hillary Clinton

The Clintons received a suspicious package at their home in upstate New York on Tuesday, which the Secret Service intercepted as well. The Clintons, like Soros, have long been the focus of right-wing conspiracy theories. While Hillary Clinton been relatively low-profile since the election, even now, when Trump mentions her name at rallies, his crowd of supporters starts to chant, “Lock her up!”

See More:

More in Politics

The Logoff
Trump’s DOJ wants to undo January 6 convictionsTrump’s DOJ wants to undo January 6 convictions
The Logoff

How the Trump administration is still trying to rewrite January 6 history.

By Cameron Peters
Politics
Donald Trump messed with the wrong popeDonald Trump messed with the wrong pope
Politics

Trump fought with Pope Francis before. He’s finding Pope Leo XIV to be a tougher foil.

By Christian Paz
Podcasts
A cautionary tale about tax cutsA cautionary tale about tax cuts
Podcast
Podcasts

California cut property taxes in the 1970s. It didn’t go so well.

By Miles Bryan and Noel King
Podcasts
Obama’s top Iran negotiator on Trump’s screwupsObama’s top Iran negotiator on Trump’s screwups
Podcast
Podcasts

Wendy Sherman helped Obama reach a deal with Iran. Here’s what she thinks Trump is doing wrong.

By Kelli Wessinger and Noel King
Politics
The Supreme Court could legalize moonshine, and ruin everything elseThe Supreme Court could legalize moonshine, and ruin everything else
Politics

McNutt v. DOJ could allow the justices to seize tremendous power over the US economy.

By Ian Millhiser
The Logoff
The new Hormuz blockade, briefly explainedThe new Hormuz blockade, briefly explained
The Logoff

Trump tries Iran’s playbook.

By Cameron Peters