Trump 'must be killed,' Florida congressional write-in candidate says
A onetime Marine and former Jacksonville prosecutor running to replace U.S. Rep. John Rutherford has sparked outraged reaction by saying over social media that President Donald Trump "must be killed."
William Upham is a write-in candidate for Congress from Florida's Fifth Congressional District who changed from running as a Republican in June, elections records show.
His X account, with just 90 followers, posted a 6-minute, 40-second video July 13 that appears to end with a uniformed Upham saying "President Trump is the Anti-Christ and he will be killed and sent to hell. God will prevail against evil." President Trump has survived multiple assassination attempts.
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao responded to the video with a message saying: "Unacceptable. William Upham is no longer a Marine and does not represent our values or ethos."
Others were more emphatic.
"What a SCUMBAG using God's Word out of CONTEXT!" read one response on X. "FULL DISHONORABLE for this X-MARINE!!!! As we know we're all Marines, this guy is not! You do NOT get to call for the death of sitting POTUS no matter how much you hate him! To do in uniform? The E4 Mafia can take him behind the wood shed!!!!"
A series of others also condemned Upham wearing a uniform. Keeping America's armed services separate from political messaging has been a core tradition since the country's earliest days.
The Marine Corps said in its own social media statement that it was "aware of the disturbing statements made by William Upham, who was medically discharged on May 30, 2025. The comments made by Upham are a direct violation of the oath he swore to uphold and are not in keeping with the service's values."
The video on Upham's X account had been viewed about 500,000 times on Upham's account by July 15, although the Marine Corps response was shown as having been viewed 2.7 million times.
Upham was a County Court attorney, handling misdemeanors for State Attorney Melissa Nelson's office between September 2025 and April 1, spokesman David Chapman said.
An attorney profile on the Florida Bar's website July 15 listed Upham as not eligible to practice in Florida. The listing described him as retired, although it said he was a 2023 graduate of Florida State University's law school admitted into practice in September 2023.
The video likened the United State today to the world before the apocalypse described in the Bible's New Testament.
"The Book of Revelation is occurring right now. America is Babylon. God and his angels have condemned our country because we are drowning in sin," the video said. "… We have lost sight of God and treated Him like He was an accessory. … Is it too late for us to turn from our sins? Is it too late for America? My answer is no, it's not too late."
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Trump 'must be killed,' Florida congressional write-in candidate says
Reporting by Steve Patterson, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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This story was originally published July 15, 2026 at 9:29 PM.