Are Trump Death Threat Cases Rising? Three Arrested Just This Week

Forbes Published Jul 17, 2026 Reviewed Jul 18, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors

At least three men were arrested this week for allegedly threatening to kill President Donald Trump or family members, according to the Justice Department.

Garry Lee Williams, 44, of Knoxville, was arrested Thursday by FBI agents for allegedly posting repeated TikTok videos threatening to kill President Donald Trump, FBI Director Kash Patel, Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler, and Knoxville Police Chief Paul Noe, according to the Justice Department.

William Upham, 35, a former Marine and Republican congressional write-in candidate from Jacksonville, Florida, was charged with threatening the President of the United States for allegedly calling Trump "the enemy" and saying he "must be killed" in Facebook videos, according to the Justice Department.

William Upham, in one video, said the enemy "should be killed with 'two shots to the chest’ and ‘one shot to the head,’ according to the DOJ complaint.

James Gerald Eckert Jr., 39, of Rochester, New York, was arrested and charged on Monday with threatening to kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon a member of the immediate family of the President after posting threats against Donald Trump Jr. in the live chat of Trump Jr.’s podcast on Rumble, including, “I’m going to kill you,” according to the Justice Department.

Upham’s and Eckert’s charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison, according to the article.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this week he was the target of an assassination attempt earlier this year, and the man involved in the plot pleaded guilty in March and will be sentenced in August, according to the article.

The Marine Corps publicly condemned William Upham’s videos as "disturbing," stating his statements violated "the oath he swore to uphold," according to the article.

President Donald Trump was targeted in two assassination attempts in 2024, with one incident striking him in the ear by a bullet and killing a bystander, according to the article.

The gunman from the assassination attempt that struck Trump in the ear was killed by the Secret Service, and the man who attempted to assassinate Trump on a Florida golf course was sentenced to life in prison in February, according to the article.

Paul Pelosi, the husband of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was attacked with a hammer in his home in 2022, suffering a fractured skull and injuries to his right arm, according to the article.

Democratic Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were fatally shot in their home in 2025, according to the article.

Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated during a public event in Utah in 2025, according to the article.

At least three men were arrested this week for allegedly threatening to kill President Donald Trump or family members this week, according to the Justice Department, which has led a strengthened crackdown on threats against public officials.

FBI agents arrested Knoxville man Garry Lee Williams, 44, Thursday over allegations he posted repeated TikTok videos threatening to kill Trump, FBI Director Kash Patel, Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler and Knoxville Police Chief Paul Noe, according to the Justice Department.

William Upham, 35, a former Marine and Republican congressional write-in candidate from Jacksonville, Florida, was charged with threatening the President of the United States on Thursday for alleged comments against Trump in which he called him “the enemy” and said he “must be killed” in videos posted to Facebook, the DOJ announced.

Upham, who was dressed in his military uniform in the videos, said in one “the enemy” should be killed with "two shots to the chest” and “one shot to the head,” according to the DOJ complaint.

On Monday, James Gerald Eckert Jr., 39, of Rochester, New York, was arrested and charged with threatening to kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon a member of the immediate family of the President after posting threats against Donald Trump Jr., including, “I’m going to kill you,” in the live chat of Trump Jr.’s podcast on Rumble.

Upham’s and Eckert’s charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. Trial dates have not been set for the cases, though Williams had his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court in Knoxville on Friday.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters this week he was the target of an assassination attempt earlier this year. The man involved in the plot pleaded guilty to his charges in March and will be sentenced in August.

Federal prosecutors have increasingly used statutes prohibiting the sending of threats against the president to pursue posts made on social media. In Upham’s case, the Marine Corps publicly condemned his videos as "disturbing," saying his statements violated “the oath he swore to uphold.” ‘

Trump was targeted in two assassination attempts in 2024, with one of the incidents striking the president in the ear by a bullet, and killing a bystander. The gunman from that assassination attempt was killed by the Secret Service, while the man who tried to assassinate Trump on a Florida golf course was sentenced to life in prison in February. The attempts on Trump’s life are part of a rise in political violence in recent years. Paul Pelosi, the husband of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was attacked by a man with a hammer in his home in 2022, suffering a fractured skull and injuries to his right arm. Democratic Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were fatally shot in their home in 2025, just months before right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated during a public event in Utah.

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