A Republican congressional candidate and former U.S. Marine has triggered a firestorm after posting a bizarre video branding President Donald Trump “the Antichrist” and declaring that he “must be killed.”
William Upham, a write-in candidate for Florida’s 5th Congressional District, delivered the nearly seven-minute religious and political rant while wearing a Marine Corps uniform—even though the service says he was medically discharged more than a year ago.
Upham initially presented his campaign as an effort to restore bipartisanship, return power to working Americans and “fix our broken political system.”
Then the video took a dark turn.
“We are led by a president who is the enemy of God,” Upham said, according to Fox News.
After quoting Bible passages and invoking the oath he took as a Marine officer to defend the Constitution “against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” Upham leveled an extraordinary accusation against the commander in chief.
“There is no doubt in my mind that the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump, is the Antichrist,” Upham said. “He is a false messiah. And he is your enemy. And he must be killed.”
Upham claimed Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV and a previously posted AI-generated image depicting the president in Christ-like imagery helped shape his conclusion, according to the New York Post.
“He is nothing like Jesus Christ,” Upham said.
Later in the video, he urged Americans to consider whether they were “worshiping a false idol” before declaring: “President Trump is the Antichrist. And he will be killed and sent to hell. God will prevail against evil.”
Upham also said violence should never be used for “evil purposes such as vengeance or plunder,” an assertion sharply at odds with his earlier declaration about the president.
The Marine Corps swiftly disavowed the former officer.
“The Marine Corps is aware of the disturbing statements made by William Upham, who was medically discharged on May 30, 2025,” the service said in a statement posted to 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.”
Upham served in the Marines from 2021 until 2025 and reached the rank of first lieutenant, according to Task & Purpose.
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao also condemned the candidate’s remarks.
“Unacceptable,” Cao wrote on X. “William Upham is no longer a Marine and does not represent our values or ethos.”
The Secret Service confirmed that it was aware of the video.
“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 told Fox News Digital. “Out of concern for operational security, we do not discuss matters of protective intelligence.”
The violent rhetoric is especially alarming after multiple assassination attempts against Trump and the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September 2025.
Despite the national attention generated by his video, Upham appears to be a fringe contender in the August 18 Republican primary. He is running as a write-in candidate against five-term incumbent Rep. John Rutherford, conservative radio personality Mark Kaye and Donald Muirheid, according to Ballotpedia.
No reputable public opinion poll located as of Thursday showed measurable support for Upham. One prediction-market tracker gave Rutherford a roughly 93% chance of winning the nomination, however it’s important to note that prediction-market odds are not the same as voter polling.
Rutherford also begins the race from a commanding position. The former Jacksonville sheriff won reelection in 2024 with more than 63% of the vote, carrying the heavily Republican district by approximately 26 percentage points.
Upham’s own campaign website describes him as a Marine, prosecutor and Republican running “for God and country.” It also promises voters: “No more insiders. No more extremism. No more excuses.”
After his explosive video, that anti-extremism pitch is now facing intense scrutiny.
