A Florida man has been arrested on federal charges after posting videos that federal agents say threatened President Donald Trump and urged violence against him and the administration.
Federal prosecutors charged William L. Upham, 35, of Jacksonville, with threatening to kill President Donald Trump, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported that he has been ordered detained following a court appearance. If convicted, Upham faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison, according to the announcement by U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.
The complaint alleges that the United States Secret Service received reports about potential threats and then reviewed two videos Upham posted on social media where he appears in a military uniform. Court records say Upham was medically retired from the United States Marine Corps because of mental health-related concerns, and those records are cited in the charging documents.
In the first video, Upham is reported to have said, “this is a call to arms” and urged the overthrow of the Trump administration while offering tactical instructions. The complaint quotes him recommending a semi-automatic rifle such as an AR-15 and advising that “the enemy” should be killed with “two shots to the chest” and “one shot to the head,” language the filing says signals an intent to inflict lethal harm.
Agents reviewed a second video in which Upham, again in uniform, made similar statements and explicitly labeled President Trump as the enemy, adding that he “must be killed.” Those words are cited verbatim in the complaint and are central to the federal charge alleging a threat against the President.
The court filing further states that Upham later communicated to a third party that he produced the videos to “declare war” and that he would “kill President Trump at the time that God chooses.” The complaint referenced in filings is dated 20260716 Upham Complaint and is the basis for the federal charging decision outlined by prosecutors.
Investigators also learned that Upham had access to firearms and that he made concerning statements to law enforcement as recently as July 2026, details the complaint records. Those facts were part of the Secret Service and FBI inquiry that led to the criminal filing and the decision to seek detention given the nature of the alleged threats.
Federal officials emphasize that a criminal complaint is a formal accusation and that every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelli Swaney after an investigation by the United States Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
This case raises stark questions about public safety, free speech limits, and how authorities should respond when a person with military training posts explicit instructions for violence. From a law-and-order perspective, prosecutors and agents have a duty to treat direct threats against the President as serious and to pursue charges that protect the public and deter copycat behavior.
At the same time, the filings note Upham’s medical retirement from the Marines and mental health concerns, which factor into both investigative assessments and the broader discussion about how to handle threats by individuals who may be struggling. Courts will weigh those circumstances along with the evidence as the case moves forward through the federal system.
https://x.com/FBIJacksonville/status/2077857110683947272
The allegations here are specific: prosecutors point to explicit guidance about weapons and a clear statement that the President “must be killed,” followed by a claim that the defendant intended to “declare war.” Those elements frame the federal threat charge and explain why the Secret Service and FBI opened a formal investigation and why federal prosecutors pursued detention.
