Former podcaster arrested on federal charges for repeatedly threatening to kill President Trump

Federal agents arrested a 40-year-old former Christian reality TV host turned podcaster at his Los Angeles home after a grand jury indicted him on charges of threatening to kill President Trump, cyberstalking Trump's personal attorney, and harassing the lawyer's family.

Benjamin Azariah Southworth faces three federal counts, threats against the president, cyberstalking, and harassing telephone calls in interstate communications, carrying a combined maximum sentence of 12 years in federal prison. Prosecutors say Southworth spent months posting videos across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok calling for Trump's assassination, and that he targeted the family of one of the president's personal lawyers by publishing their home address and phone numbers and leaving threatening voicemails.

The indictment, filed in the Central District of California and made public Thursday, describes one video in which Southworth depicted himself "fictitiously depicting himself teleporting into the White House Oval Office, behind President Trump, and raising a knife up to President Trump's head as if he was about to stab him." Southworth also sold stickers reading "Kill Trump" on his personal website.

Months of threats across social media preceded the arrest

Prosecutors allege the threatening conduct ran from January through May 2026 across multiple social media platforms. The New York Post reported that FBI agents arrested Southworth at his home in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles on the morning of September 3, 2026. He was expected to be arraigned Thursday in federal district court in Los Angeles.

One video, posted to Instagram on April 7, 2026, explicitly called for Trump's execution. In another posted clip, Southworth stated:

"Kill Donald Trump. Kill that motherf*****g pedophile in the White House. Kill that traitor of the United States Constitution."

The language was not ambiguous. It was not satire. And federal prosecutors treated it accordingly.

Southworth had previously hosted a Christian reality show called "The Remix" and a podcast called "Yass, Jesus!" Fox News identified him as a former Christian reality TV host who had become an LGBT podcaster. The indictment does not specify whether either program was still active at the time of the alleged threats.

Cyberstalking charges extend to Trump attorney Jay Sekulow's family

Beyond the threats against Trump himself, the indictment charges Southworth with cyberstalking and harassing one of the president's personal attorneys and the attorney's family. The indictment did not name the lawyer, but FBI Director Kash Patel identified the victim on X as Jay Sekulow, a former Trump impeachment lawyer.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli laid out the conduct in plain terms, saying Southworth "targeted the family of the President's personal attorney by publishing their home address and phone numbers, and leaving voicemails threatening justice comes to your door." Doxxing a lawyer's family, posting private addresses and phone numbers online, is not political speech. It is a federal crime when paired with threats, and prosecutors are treating it as one.

The case arrives at a time when threats against the president and his family have drawn increased scrutiny from federal law enforcement. Patel, in his post on X, wrote:

"Deadly threats like this are as vile as they are criminal, those responsible will be met by this FBI and law enforcement."

Attorney General Todd Blanche echoed that posture in a separate statement. "We will hold perpetrators of violent threats accountable, and anyone who makes these threats online will not be allowed to hide behind their screens," Blanche said. In a further comment reported by Just The News, Blanche added: "As threats against President Trump's life escalate, the Department of Justice will respond with the full force of the law."

Essayli warns that threats of political violence will not be tolerated

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Essayli did not hold back about the stakes. "Threats against the President of the United States are federal crimes. We will not tolerate threats of political violence in the United States," he said. He also described the arrest bluntly:

"There is zero tolerance for political violence, especially for threats directed at the President. Threatening an elected official with violence is a serious offense, and you will be arrested and charged as Mr. Southworth found out this morning."

That last line, "as Mr. Southworth found out this morning", signals a Justice Department eager to make examples of online threats that cross the line from ranting into criminal conduct.

The indictment states that Southworth acted "to publicly express his hatred toward President Trump and his supporters, and to publicly engage in and/or encourage the abuse, harassment and intimidation of, and violence against, President Trump." The language suggests prosecutors view the case not as an isolated outburst but as a sustained campaign of incitement.

Southworth faces up to 12 years in federal prison if convicted on all three counts. The charges carry weight: threatening the president is one of the most aggressively prosecuted categories of federal criminal law, and the addition of cyberstalking and interstate harassment charges broadens the government's case considerably.

The case also raises a question that recurs whenever online threats cross into criminal territory: how long did the conduct go on before law enforcement acted? The indictment describes activity spanning January through May 2026. Southworth was not arrested until September. The gap is not explained in the charging documents, though grand jury investigations routinely take months to build.

Federal prosecutors have shown uneven results in past threat cases involving political figures, with some defendants receiving sentences that critics say fail to match the severity of the conduct. Whether this case follows that pattern will depend on the outcome of Southworth's arraignment and any plea negotiations.

The broader context is hard to ignore. Security concerns around the president and his administration have prompted a series of federal actions in recent months, and Blanche's statement frames the Southworth arrest as part of a wider enforcement posture.

NBC News reported that the indictment was made public Thursday and that Southworth's arraignment was expected the same day in federal district court in Los Angeles. No attorney for Southworth was identified in available reporting.

The Trump administration has made clear it intends to treat threats against the president as a top enforcement priority. Patel and Blanche both used the Southworth case to send that message publicly.

Social media platforms gave Southworth a megaphone. Federal law enforcement took it away. The question now is whether the courts will back up the arrest with a sentence that actually deters the next person who mistakes a screen for a shield.