Ex-Marine, GOP Congressional Candidate Arrested for Threatening to Kill Trump

William Lintag Upham, a former Marine officer and qualified congressional write-in candidate, was arrested and charged on July 16 with threatening to kill President Donald Trump.

The charges announced by the Justice Department came after federal agents reviewed social media videos in which Upham allegedly called for the administration’s violent overthrow. Upham, 35, appeared in federal court in Jacksonville, Fla., and a judge ordered him detained. He faces up to five years in federal prison if convicted. He is presumed innocent as prosecutors have filed only a criminal complaint.

Florida election records identify Upham as a qualified Republican write-in candidate for the U.S. House in Florida’s 5th Congressional District. He filed his candidacy April 28 and qualified June 9 for the Nov. 3 general election. He is also a former state prosecutor.

The Secret Service began investigating after receiving two reports July 14 about posts connected to the “uphamforcongress” Instagram account. One report came from an anonymous caller. The other came through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and described a veteran posting videos in uniform, calling Trump the “Antichrist” while discussing weapons and combat tactics.

What the Videos Detail

In one video, Upham appeared in military fatigues as he made a “call to arms.” He urged readers to overthrow the Trump administration, recommended a semiautomatic rifle, and described shooting and movement techniques associated with combat. He framed the appeal in religious terms and claimed God would protect those who acted.

In the second video, Upham discussed his congressional campaign, criticized both political parties, and invoked the oath he took as a commissioned Marine officer. He then called Trump the Antichrist, described him as an enemy, a “false Messiah,” and said he “must be killed.”

Upham connected that claim to biblical passages and Trump’s public statements and imagery concerning Christianity.

The complaint also alleges that Upham responded to a reporter’s questions by email, which stated: “I made this video in uniform to declare war against President Trump on behalf of God. The uniform represents the Holy War between God and the Anti-Christ.”

He also purportedly said that he “will kill President Trump at the time that God chooses, not when I choose. Our county must overthrow President Trump by the violent use of force and kill him.”

Investigators linked the email address to the one listed on Upham’s Florida Bar profile.

Medical Discharge and Mental Health Claims

Military records show Upham entered the Marine Corps in June 2021, reached the rank of first lieutenant and served as a student judge advocate.

His record listed no deployments or awards. His last assignment was Wounded Warrior Battalion West at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

The Marine Corps confirmed that Upham received a medical discharge May 30, 2025, and condemned his statements as contrary to the service’s values and the oath he had taken. The publicly released Marine Corps statement did not identify the medical basis for his discharge.

The complaint contains a more specific account. It says the VA representative relayed a third-party claim that Upham had been medically retired from the Marine Corps because of “mental health-related concerns” and had recently experienced a psychiatric hold.

The complaint does not identify the original source, attach medical records, or indicate that agents independently confirmed those details.

Firearms and Welfare Checks

The affidavit states that Upham’s Facebook account identified him as a Jacksonville resident.

Investigators obtained information indicating that he had access to firearms, including records showing he purchased two guns from a Virginia pawnshop in June 2024. The complaint does not say whether Upham still possessed those firearms when agents investigated the alleged threats.

Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officers conducted a welfare check at Upham’s residence July 5, according to police reports reviewed by the Secret Service agent. During the encounter, Upham allegedly said he was the Messiah and that God had ordered him to die.

Upham’s congressional candidacy remains active in the state’s election database.