A U.S. senator from South Dakota found himself in hot water on Thursday due to a tweet he directed at President Joe Biden.
On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds responded to Biden’s call for banning assault rifles in the wake of a Boulder, Colorado, shooting this week by tweeting a photo that showed a statue of Rounds holding a gun and a dog looking up at him.
“Hey @JoeBiden – come and take it. Careful, she bites too,” Rounds tweeted.
The statue is part of the Trail of Governors in Pierre, South Dakota, which features the statue of Rounds and two other former governors and their dogs. Rounds served as South Dakota governor from 2003 to 2011.
Rounds faced immediate backlash from the tweet, with some assuming the senator was threatening the president with violence.
“The GOP has already fomented one deadly insurrection,” the South Dakota Democratic Party wrote in response to the tweet. “This kind of rhetoric that can foment another armed insurrection. This seditious behavior is only aimed at getting people hurt. Shame on you, @SenatorRounds for agitating violent rhetoric and tweeting veiled threats.”
One person tagged the Secret Service in a tweet, saying its agents should reach out to Rounds about the post.
The senator hadn’t responded to any of the messages or posted any follow-up tweets by Thursday afternoon.
