The Department of Justice announced on Thursday, July 16, that Florida congressional candidate and former Marine William L. Upham has been arrested and charged with threatening President Donald Trump after he posted a video on X declaring that the president “must be killed.”
The arrest came two days after the U.S. Marine Corps publicly denounced Upham’s remarks, describing them as “disturbing.”
DOJ files charges after reviewing online videos
According to the Justice Department, the Secret Service received reports of potential threats against the president before reviewing two videos Upham had shared online in which he referred to Trump as the “enemy.” The DOJ wrote in a press release that the Secret Service also received “a communication that Upham had sent to a third party which stated that he made the videos to ‘declare war’ against President Trump and that he would ‘kill President Trump at the time that God chooses.’” Upham appeared in federal court in Jacksonville, Fla., where he was ordered detained. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 30.
Former Marine calls Donald Trump the ‘false Messiah,’ says ‘he must be killed’
In one of the videos posted to X, Upham said he entered politics to challenge Washington insiders and repair what he described as a “broken political system.”
“I’ve reached a turning point in my campaign. Why? I’ve come to the realization that our country is broken. We are led by a president who’s the enemy of God, and President Trump will never bring us together like God intended,” he said while dressed in military uniform.
Although Upham said in the video that “violence should never be used for evil purposes such as vengeance or plunder” and that “we must defend ourselves against all enemies,” his remarks soon escalated. “There is no doubt in my mind that the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump, is the anti-Christ. He is a false Messiah and he is your enemy and he must be killed,” Upham said.
He later explained that he reached that conclusion after Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV and shared an AI-generated image depicting himself as a Christ-like figure. “He is nothing like Jesus Christ,” Upham said. “President Trump is the anti-Christ, and he will be killed and sent to hell. God will prevail against evil.”
Marine Corps swiftly distances itself from William Upham
Prior to the arrest, the Marine Corps publicly condemned Upham’s statements and emphasized that he no longer represents the service. In a statement posted on X, the Corps said it was “aware of the disturbing statements made by William Upham” and described the comments as “a direct violation of the oath he swore to uphold and are not in keeping with the service’s values.” The Corps noted that Upham was medically discharged on May 30, 2025. Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao echoed that position on Tuesday, July 14, writing, “Unacceptable. William Upham is no longer a Marine and does not represent our values or ethos.”
William Upham remains on ballot amid concerns over political violence
Upham is listed by the Florida Division of Elections as a qualified write-in candidate for Florida’s 5th Congressional District after qualifying on June 9. The seat is currently held by Republican Rep. John Rutherford and includes parts of Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach and St. Augustine.
His arrest comes amid heightened concerns over increasingly hostile political rhetoric in the U.S. Leaders from both major parties have repeatedly warned that language appearing to encourage or justify violence can contribute to a dangerous political climate. Those concerns have become especially grave because Trump has already been the target of multiple assassination attempts, most recently during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on April 25, making threats against the president subject to heightened scrutiny by federal authorities.
