The man charged with threatening to harm the president will remain in custody until at least Thursday.
Daniel Swain appeared in federal court in a gray shirt and black pants with his wrists and ankles shackled for a first appearance that lasted less than 10 minutes.
Other WRAL Top Stories
He faces charges at both the state and federal levels after he was arrested at the Tidal Wave Auto Spa in Apex last week.
Sky5 flew over that scene, showing the SUV Swain was driving covered in writing.
The back of the car says "tell Donald he is fired," and photos in federal charging documents, show the driver's side window says "headed to WSH to kill the pres."
According to the federal complaint, Swain "admitted to writing threats on the car, specifically with the white marker, and stated he should not have done that."
That complaint alleges video surveillance shows the messages on driver's side and rearview windows were written before the car wash, and passenger side messages were added after.
Swain was previously interviewed by federal authorities in January of 2025 for a threatening Facebook post.
Inside the federal courtroom Monday afternoon, Swain barely spoke, except to tell the judge he understands the charges against him, and to request a public defender.
Swain will remain in custody until Thursday; he has a detention hearing scheduled for 10 a.m.
