A man from Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, has been arrested on a federal charge after allegedly making an online threat to kill former President Donald J. Trump. Trent Schneider, 57, was taken into custody and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert in Chicago. He will remain in federal detention until a hearing scheduled for November 6, 2025.
According to a criminal complaint unsealed in the U.S. District Court in Chicago, Schneider posted a video on Instagram on October 16, 2025. In the video, he stated: “I’m going to get some guns. I know where I can get a lot of [expletive] guns and I am going to take care of business myself. I’m tired of all you [expletive] frauds. People need to [expletive] die and people are going to die. [Expletive] all of you, especially you Trump. You should be executed.” The video included a caption reading: “THIS IS NOT A THREAT!!! AFTER LOSING EVERYTHING and My House Auction date is 11.04.2025 @realDonaldTrump SHOULD BE EXECUTED!!!”
The complaint states that a citizen in Florida saw the video and notified law enforcement authorities.
The arrest was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Dai Tran, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Chicago Field Office. Assistance came from both the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Winthrop Harbor Police Department.
Authorities emphasized that a criminal complaint is not evidence of guilt and that Schneider is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If convicted on the charge of making a threat in interstate commerce to injure another person, Schneider faces up to five years in federal prison under applicable sentencing guidelines.
