Ryan Fournier, the 30-year-old co-founder of the group Students for Trump, was arrested on Tuesday on domestic violence charges in Washington DC. The Metropolitan Police Department charged him with simple assault and threats to do bodily harm following an incident at a luxury apartment complex.
According to arrest documents, the alleged incident occurred on Monday night. An unnamed victim, who said she had been dating Fournier for two months, stated she found him on the floor apparently intoxicated. When she tried to wake him, Fournier allegedly struck her in the face with a closed fist two or three times. The victim also claimed Fournier had a knife at his side but did not use it, and that he said, “I’ll kill everyone here.”
A witness, described as Fournier’s roommate, told police he heard Fournier scream, “Don’t touch me, woman!” and “Do you want me to crush your head in with this lamp?” The roommate said he intervened, and Fournier later yelled, “Do you want to die today?” The victim ran into the bathroom, and the roommate called 911, with the victim saying, “Don’t let him stab me.”
Fournier entered a not guilty plea during Tuesday’s arraignment on misdemeanor charges. A judge issued a pretrial no-contact order, and a status hearing is set for 7 July. This is not Fournier’s first arrest; in November 2023, he was arrested in North Carolina on domestic violence charges, including assault with a deadly weapon, though those charges were later dismissed.
Fournier describes himself as a commentator and podcast host. He previously faced controversy after falsely accusing a Wisconsin principal of celebrating the death of Charlie Kirk, leading to death threats against her. He later retracted the claim.
