An Ohio sheriff is weighing criminal charges against the Ashland County Democratic Party after its fair booth was caught handing out buttons that appeared to wish for President Donald Trump’s death, according to multiple reports.
Fairgoers at the Ashland County Fair complained Thursday evening about buttons reading “Is he dead yet” in reference to the president, which were being distributed by the Democratic Party’s booth, according to reports. After repeated warnings to remove them, the sheriff’s department escorted the booth out.
“A red ball cap with ‘felon’ across the top of it, ‘is he dead yet?’ and some other innuendo about his obituary — we’re referring to the President of the United States,” Ashland County Sheriff Kurt Schneider told News 5 Cleveland. “Also, a number, 86-47, which is removal of the President, who is the 47th president of the United States.”
Even after the assassination of Charlie Kirk and two attempted assassinations of President Trump, Democrats are still out for blood.
Ashland County is one of the reddest in Ohio— yet Democrats handed out buttons at the county fair saying: “Is he dead yet?”
This isn’t politics.… pic.twitter.com/eq54YdBnF5
— Rep. Josh Williams (@JoshWilliamsOH) September 19, 2025
“It’s shameful, it’s unfortunate,” one fairgoer told the outlet. “That’s the exact opposite of what we need in our country right now.”
Schneider said he referred the matter to the Secret Service and that his department is considering charges, telling News 5 Cleveland that he viewed the buttons as threatening.
“Everybody can say anything, right? But then what are the consequences of what you say?” Schneider told the outlet. “This kind of nonsense, it can go somewhere else.”
Schneider did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
The Ashland County Democratic Party cast itself as the victim of “censorship,” stating it was “silenced” by Republican members of the county fair board with assistance from two sheriff’s deputies.
“We have seen instances of abuse of power before. Nixon kept an enemies list and attempted to use the IRS to target journalists. McCarthy dragged writers, actors, and reporters before hearings and wrecked careers with blacklists and loyalty oaths,” the party wrote in a statement on its website. “Those were shameful chapters. However, even then, the machinery of the state was not routinely deployed to silence the chairs of opposing parties at local community events.”
The party acknowledged in the final paragraph of its one-page statement that the buttons were inappropriate.
“We hear those in our own party and those in opposition who feel those buttons were in poor taste. In retrospect, given the emotions running high in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination and subsequent scrutiny of criticism by the government, we should have thought about this more,” it said.
The Ashland County Democratic Party did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
Meanwhile, a Napolitan News Service poll conducted in the wake of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination found that a staggering 24% of Democrats answered that the country is “better off” now that Kirk has been killed. An April poll found that 48% and 55% of left-of-center people believed murdering Tesla CEO Elon Musk and President Trump is at least somewhat justified.
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