Christian podcaster flashes menacing glare as he’s arrested for threatening to kill Trump
A Christian podcaster, Benjamin Azariah Southworth, 40, was arrested in Los Angeles after allegedly making repeated online threats to kill President Donald Trump, including calls for his execution. Southworth, host of the "Yass, Jesus!" podcast and a prominent LGBTQ+ rights advocate, has been charged with making harassing telephone calls, cyberstalking and threatening the president's life, in a case prosecutors say reflects a wider escalation in threats against Trump.
Federal officials allege Southworth posted videos and messages across social media over several months calling for Trump's death, including an April video declaring "Kill Donald Trump" and text messages from January 2025 saying he would "kill him" given the chance. He is also accused of publishing the home address and photographs of one of Trump's former personal lawyers alongside the phrase "No peace for traitors." Attorney General Todd Blanche and prosecutors in the Central District of California said the case demonstrates "zero tolerance" for political violence, vowing that anyone making such threats online "will not be allowed to hide behind their screens."
In short
- Podcaster Benjamin Southworth, 40, arrested over alleged Trump death threats
- Accused of cyberstalking, harassment and threatening the president's life
- Also allegedly published a Trump lawyer's home address online
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The case for
Supporters of a robust prosecutorial response argue that explicit, repeated calls for a sitting president's death, including publishing a former lawyer's home address alongside language interpreted as inciting harm, cross well beyond protected political rhetoric into genuine threats that the law is designed to punish. They contend that treating such statements seriously, regardless of the target's politics or the speaker's own professed faith and advocacy credentials, protects the democratic process from intimidation and violence, and that consistent, visible enforcement deters copycat threats amid what officials describe as a rising tide of hostility toward public figures.
The case against
Civil liberties advocates and free-speech proponents caution that aggressive prosecution of online statements risks conflating hyperbolic political venting with genuine, actionable threats, particularly when charges are brought with high-profile political framing. They argue that such cases warrant careful scrutiny of context and intent, that selective or highly publicised enforcement can chill legitimate dissent and satire, and that the government should apply the same rigorous standard to threats against all political figures rather than appearing to prioritise cases involving the president specifically.
Explained simply
Donald Trump is the US president, and threats against a president can be investigated as federal crimes. The case concerns Benjamin Azariah Southworth, a podcaster and LGBTQ+ rights advocate, whom federal prosecutors accuse of making threats online.
Prosecutors say Southworth posted messages calling for Trump’s death over several months. They also allege he shared the home address and photographs of one of Trump’s former lawyers. Southworth has been charged with threatening the president, cyberstalking and making harassing calls; the allegations have not been proved in court.
The case comes amid official concern about threats against Trump and raises questions about how online threats are handled. Federal officials say people can be prosecuted for threats made on social media, while the charges against Southworth will be tested through the court process.
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