News summary produced by Claude AI
William Upham, 35, a former marine and Republican write-in candidate for Florida’s fifth congressional district House seat, was taken into custody on Thursday following an appearance in federal court in Jacksonville. He faces federal charges alleging he threatened to kill Donald Trump, with a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison if convicted, according to the US attorney’s office.
The Secret Service initiated an investigation into Upham after receiving reports of potential threats. Agents reviewing his social media accounts identified two videos in which Upham, dressed in military uniform, called for the overthrow of the Trump administration. According to the complaint, Upham stated in the videos that he was making a “call to arms” and discussed providing “military instruction on how to overthrow President Trump and his forces.” He allegedly recommended specific weapons, including semiautomatic rifles such as AR-15s, and described tactical methods he characterized as resulting in high probability of death.
In a second video, Upham again wearing military attire allegedly reiterated that Trump was “the enemy” and “must be killed.” Federal authorities noted that religious beliefs appeared central to Upham’s statements, with the complaint indicating he characterized Trump as fitting biblical descriptions of the antichrist. Investigators also discovered a communication in which Upham allegedly stated he created the videos to “declare war” against Trump and would “kill President Trump at the time that God chooses.”
Authorities reported that Upham had access to firearms and had made concerning statements to law enforcement as recently as the current month. Hung Cao, acting US secretary of the navy, issued a statement on social media characterizing Upham’s comments as “unacceptable” and stating that “William Upham is no longer a Marine and does not represent our values or ethos.”