Copyright independent
An Illinois man was arrested on Monday and charged with making a threat to kill President Donald Trump after allegedly repeatedly posting threatening messages and images on social media. Trent Schneider, 57, of Winthrop Harbor, is accused of repeatedly posting a video on Instagram calling for “judges, doctors, lawyers, police” and Trump to be killed. “I’m going to get some guns,” Schneider said in an October 16 video, according to court documents. “I know where I can get a lot of f***ing guns and I am going to take care of business myself. I’m tired of all you f***ing frauds. People need to f***ing die and people are going to die. F*** all of you, especially you Trump. You should be executed.” The video included a caption that read, “THIS IS NOT A THREAT!!!” Schneider posted the video on Instagram 18 times between October 16 and 21, according to federal officials. The 57-year-old is also accused of posting an image of a cartoon president crossed out in red, with the text, “Donald Trump SHOULD BE EXECUTED!!!” The picture was reposted about 20 times and the poster often tagged the location of Trump Tower in Chicago. Schneider was previously known to law enforcement, according to the court documents. In 2022, he was arrested for allegedly making threats to “shoot up” a T-Mobile store. The following year, he was found unfit to stand trial. In his alleged messages, Schneider mentioned that he was “losing everything” and said his house was being auctioned. His home is subject to foreclosure and an auction is scheduled for Tuesday, according to law enforcement. A “concerned citizen in Florida” viewed one of Schneider’s videos and reported it to law enforcement, the Justice Department said. A Lake County Sheriff’s Department SWAT team arrested Schneider on Monday, after he was questioned by federal agents last month, CBS News reports. The 57-year-old briefly appeared in court on Monday following his arrest. There, he asked if he could be detained in the “Trump motel” and given popcorn until his detention hearing, according to CBS. Schneider has been ordered to remain in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Thursday. Schneider’s arrest follows two non-fatal shooting attempts against Trump that occurred in 2024. In September, Ryan Routh, the gunman in one of the attempts, was found guilty of trying to assassinate Trump at his Florida golf course. Americans are worried about a potential spike in political violence in the coming years, with majorities expecting such attacks to increase, while more than half of Americans told pollsters they expect a political candidate to get assassinated within the next five years. Fears of rising violence are bipartisan, a new poll from Politico and Public First found, with 53 percent of 2024 Kamala Harris voters and 51 percent of Trump voters expecting an assassination soon.
