Congressional candidate, former Marine charged with threatening to kill Trump

A Republican write-in candidate for Congress has been arrested and charged with threatening the president of the United States, federal prosecutors in Florida announced.

William L. Upham, 35, a former Marine and state prosecutor running in Florida’s 5th District, was ordered detained after appearing in federal court in Jacksonville Thursday. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

The charge follows a nearly seven-minute video Upham posted Monday, in which he appeared in his Marine uniform and declared Trump “the Antichrist” and a false messiah who “must be killed.” Upham described the video as “a call to arms,” urged the overthrow of the administration, and recommended using a semi-automatic rifle such as an AR-15.

Investigators say Upham later told a third party he had made the videos to “declare war” against the president and would kill him “at the time that God chooses,” according to the complaint. The Secret Service was aware Upham had access to firearms.

The Marine Corps denounced the statements Tuesday, saying Upham was medically discharged in May 2025 and that his comments violate the oath he swore.