The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested 40-year-old former Christian TV show host and podcaster Benjamin Southworth in Los Angeles. He is accused of threatening to kill US President Donald Trump, as well as harassing the former personal lawyer of the head of the White House and his family members, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement.
The Ministry of Justice message does not specify which lawyer is being referred to. But FBI Director Cash Patel wrote on social media that it was Jay Sekulow, who was the lead defense attorney in Trump's first impeachment trial and was also part of the president's legal team during the Justice Department's investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Southworth is charged with three counts of threatening the president, cyberstalking and harassment by interstate telephone calls. According to court documents, from January to May 2026, the man used YouTube, Instagram and TikTok accounts, as well as a website, to “publicly express his hatred” of Trump and his supporters.
One video shows him teleporting into the Oval Office and raising a knife over the president's head, while also selling stickers that read “Kill Trump.” Another calls the president a “pedophile in the White House,” likely referring to his alleged ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“US citizens need to show the world that Donald Trump is not who we are as a society, it’s time for us to fight for what we believe in. This government is illegitimate and out of control. It's time to correct course. Kill Donald Trump,” Southworth is quoted as saying in the indictment.
Following the shooting, which occurred at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, Southworth said he was outraged that Trump was “still alive.”
In addition to threatening the president, Southworth, according to the prosecution, posted Sekulow’s home address and a photo of his house on TikTok, accompanied by the caption “There will be no mercy for traitors.” He also sent threatening messages to the lawyer's son. In addition, the former presenter is accused of “telephone harassment” towards Sekulov’s wife.
Patel called Southworth's threats against Trump and Sekulow “disgusting,” and First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said they were a federal crime. He added that his department “will not tolerate political violence in the United States.”
“If convicted, Southworth faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for threatening the President, a maximum sentence of five years in prison for cyberstalking, and a maximum sentence of two years in prison for telephone harassment,” the DOJ said.
In the late 2000s, Southworth was the host of the Christian reality show The Remix, which aired on some of the country's largest television networks, Fox News said. In 2008, the man admitted to being gay, and in 2020 he launched a podcast called Yass, Jesus!, which was positioned as “interfaith” and “affirmative.”
