Federal charges have been filed against a Winthrop Harbor man who law enforcement allege threatened to “execute” U.S. President Donald Trump, saying “people need to die” and “I’m going to get some guns.”
Trent Schneider, 57, of Winthrop Harbor, is charged in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois with making a threat in interstate commerce to injure a person.
According to a criminal complaint and affidavit unsealed on Monday, Schneider posted a video of himself on October 16 on Instagram.
He allegedly 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,” Schneider added.
The video also included a caption that stated, in part: “THIS IS NOT A THREAT!!! AFTER LOSING EVERYTHING and My House Auction date is 11.04.2025 @realDonaldTrump SHOULD BE EXECUTED!!!”
A concerned citizen in Florida viewed the video and reported it to law enforcement, the complaint said.
Court records confirm that Schneider is the defendant in a pending forceclosure case and the foreclosure auction is set for Tuesday.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said they were contacted by the United States Secret Service about the investigation.
The federal agency requested the assistance of the sheriff’s office’s SWAT team to conduct a search warrant in the case, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
The agencies conducted the search warrant at a home in the 2800 block of 15th Street in Winthrop Harbor on Monday morning.
Federal agents additionally secured the arrest warrant for Trent Schneider, 57, who lives in the residence, Covelli said.
The sheriff’s office’s SWAT Team took Schneider into custody without incident while conducting both warrants.
The scene was turned over to the U.S. Secret Service and Schneider was transported to federal court regarding the warrant.
The Winthrop Harbor Police Department also assisted the U.S. Secret Service and the Lake County Tactical Response Team in the warrants.
Prior to the warrants being conducted on Monday, law enforcement officers attempted to interview Schneider at his home on October 22 to discuss the threats.
He became irate and started yelling at officers to get off his property. He then posted a video on social media of the officers walking down his driveway with a threatening caption, the complaint said.
Schneider made an initial court appearance on Monday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert in Chicago.
Schneider was ordered to remain detained in federal custody until a detention hearing, which is scheduled for Thursday.
“Protecting the President of the United States is the Secret Service’s top priority. We fully investigate any and all threats to his safety – no matter the platform – because we take them extremely seriously. This case should serve as a reminder that actions have consequences,” Secret Service Director Sean Curran said following the arrest.
“I am proud of our agents’ swift and decisive actions in this case. We are grateful to our law enforcement partners at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Winthrop Harbor Police Department, as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, for their invaluable help in carrying out our protective mission,” Curran said.
The charge against Schneider is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
In December 2022, Schneider was arrested after he threatened to shoot up a cell phone store and then led police on a 40-minute pursuit where he nearly struck two police officers in Winthrop Harbor. He was found unfit for trial in that case.
Schneider was also the subject of a federal and local investigation in 2022 after he posted multiple violent messages on social media about public officials.