What to Know
- The envelope was addressed to Donald Trump Jr. and mailed to a Manhattan apartment unit belonging to his wife, Vanessa
- Vanessa Trump went to a hospital as a precaution, though the substance was determined not to be hazard
- It's not clear who sent the powder; NYPD intelligence detectives and Secret Service are investigating
The white powder envelope addressed to Donald Trump Jr. that landed his wife, Vanessa, in the hospital after she opened it at her Manhattan apartment Monday contained seven short sentences and was rife with curses and insults, officials familiar with the case tell News 4.
“You are an awful, awful person. I am surprised that your father lets you speak on TV. You the family idiot. Eric looks smart," the letter read, according to officials familiar with the case. "This is the reason why people hate you. You are getting what you deserve. So shut the f--- up.”
Authorities are still looking into who sent the letter, which contained a white powder that appeared to be corn starch. It was postmarked from Boston.
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Vanessa Trump, 40, opened the letter Monday morning and was decontaminated at the scene as a precaution, according to a senior official with knowledge of the investigation. She called 911 to report coughing and nausea.
Vanessa Trump was taken to a hospital for observation, also strictly as a precaution, according to three senior officials. She was not hurt, nor was anyone else. The powder remains at a lab in the city for further testing, officials said.
On Monday evening, Vanessa Trump tweeted "Thank you so much for all the help today in NYC! I appreciate all the quick response to make sure that I was safe ! Thank you @FDNY @SecretService @NYPDnews @NYPDCT @NewYorkFBI."
Donald Trump Jr., meanwhile, tweeted Monday afternoon, "Thankful that Vanessa & my children are safe and unharmed after the incredibly scary situation that occurred this morning. Truly disgusting that certain individuals choose to express their opposing views with such disturbing behavior."
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The president hasn't commented on the episode. But white House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that he had spoken to her on the phone.
Michael Cohen, one of the president's personal attorneys, said in a statement, "How disturbed must a person be to do what they did to a mother of five young children? This dangerous and reckless act goes beyond political differences."
Trump Jr. married Vanessa Trump, formerly Vanessa Kay Haydon, in November 2005 at Mara-a-Lago. Trump Jr.'s aunt officiated. The couple has five children; none of the kids were home at the time of the incident.
It's not the first time a Trump has received white powder in the mail. In March 2016, police detectives and FBI agents investigated a threatening letter sent to the Manhattan apartment of Donald Trump Jr.'s brother, Eric, that also contained a white powder that turned out to be harmless. Envelopes containing white powder were also sent to Trump Tower, twice in 2016.
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