BODY:
A Florida congressional candidate and former U.S. Marine is facing condemnation from the Secret Service, the Marine Corps, and military officials after posting a video in which he called President Donald Trump the Antichrist and said the president must be killed.
William Upham is a Republican write-in candidate for Florida's 5th Congressional District. He describes himself on X as a prosecutor running to fix a broken political system. According to Fox News Digital, the video runs nearly seven minutes.
Upham opens the video by saying he entered the race to restore bipartisanship, return power to the working class, and fix what he calls a broken political system. The tone shifts as he says he has come to believe the country is broken and that America is engaged in a spiritual battle.
"We are led by a president who is the enemy of God," Upham says in the video, before citing Bible passages and referencing the oath he took as a Marine officer to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
He then states there is no doubt in his mind. "He is a false messiah. And he is your enemy. And he must be killed," Upham said. Later in the video, he tells viewers to question whether they are worshiping a false idol before concluding, "President Trump is the Antichrist. And he will be killed and sent to hell. God will prevail against evil."
The Marine Corps responded quickly. The service said Upham was medically discharged on May 30, 2025. "The Marine Corps is aware of the disturbing statements made by William Upham," the service wrote on X. "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 Secret Service also responded. "The U.S. Secret Service is aware of the comments made by a congressional candidate in Florida, and we investigate anything that can be perceived as a threat toward one of our protectees," a spokesperson said. "Out of concern for operational security, we do not discuss matters of protective intelligence."
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao added his own condemnation on X, writing that the remarks were unacceptable and that Upham is no longer a Marine and does not represent the service's values or ethos.
Fox News Digital said it reached out to the FBI, the White House, and Upham's campaign for comment. No responses from those parties were included in the report.
