Andrew S. Boutros, Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois
Andrew S. Boutros, Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois
A man from Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, has been arrested on charges of making a threat to kill former President Donald J. Trump. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois announced that Trent Schneider, 57, was taken into custody and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert in Chicago. Schneider will remain in federal custody until a detention hearing scheduled for November 6, 2025.
According to an unsealed criminal complaint, Schneider posted a video on Instagram on October 16, 2025. In the video, he said: “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 post also included a caption stating: “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 reported it to law enforcement.
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 the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Winthrop Harbor Police Department.
Authorities emphasized that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that Schneider is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted on the charge—making a threat in interstate commerce—Schneider faces up to five years in federal prison under applicable statutes and sentencing guidelines.
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