A congressional candidate in Florida, William Upham, a medically discharged U.S. Marine, has drawn widespread condemnation for a social media video in which he referred to President Donald Trump as "the anti-Christ" and stated that Trump "must be killed."
In the nearly seven-minute video, Upham, a write-in candidate for Florida's District 5, appeared in his military uniform to declare that the country is "broken" and led by a president who is "the enemy of God."
"There is no doubt in my mind that the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump, is the anti-Christ. He is a false Messiah, and he is your enemy, and he must be killed," Upham said, citing Trump's criticism of Pope Leo XIV and an AI image Trump posted of himself as a Christ-like figure as the basis for his realization.
Upham further asserted that Trump "will be killed and sent to hell" and that "God will prevail against evil." He then appeared to backtrack, stating, "Violence should never be used for evil purposes such as vengeance or plunder," before adding, "We must defend ourselves against all enemies, including the enemies here at home."
The U.S. Marine Corps issued a statement on X, formerly Twitter, disavowing Upham's comments. "The Marine Corps is 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 statement read.
Hung Cao, acting secretary of the Navy, also denounced Upham's remarks. "Unacceptable. William Upham is no longer a Marine and does not represent our values or ethos," Cao wrote on X. The notes mention "the Charlie Kirk assassination last September, as well as three attempts on President Trump’s life in the last two years" in connection with Cao's statement, though Upham's video was not directly linked to those events.
Upham did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post.