A north suburban male suspect about to lose his house, and a Lake County Circuit Court history of civil and criminal records going back to 1987, has been arrested for allegedly making an Instagram video threat to kill President Donald J. Trump, the 47th and 45th President of the United States.
Trent Schneider, age 57, of Winthrop Harbor, Illinois in Lake County, is charged with making a threat in interstate commerce to injure a person. Schneider was arrested Monday morning, November 3, 2025, and made an initial court appearance Monday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert in Chicago. Schneider was ordered to remain detained in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Nov. 6, 2025.
According to a criminal complaint unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Schneider posted a video of himself on Oct. 16, 2025, on Instagram in which he stated, “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 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!!!”
According to the criminal complaint, a concerned citizen in Florida viewed the video and reported it to law enforcement.
The complaint and arrest were 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. Valuable assistance was provided by the Lake County, Illinois Sheriff’s Office and the Winthrop Harbor Police Department.
“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. 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.”
— Secret Service Director Sean Curran
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The charge in the complaint is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
— U.S. Attorney’s Office for Northern Illinois
The United States Secret Service requested the Lake County Sheriff’s SWAT unit to assist with executing the search warrant and arrest warrant at Schneider’s home. The SWAT team assisted with those requests, and with taking Schneider into custody, which occurred without incident.
CBS News Chicago and CBS News may have had extra inside information or was forwarded the actual Instagram video or screen shots of Instagram video caption, which CBS News has published read “THIS IS 3 NOT A THREAT!!! ࡓ AFTER LOSING EVERYTHING and My House Auction date is 11.04.2025 @realDonaldTrump SHOULD BE EXECUTED!!! ࡓ SHE IS A #FRAUD and a #COWARD!!! ૠ SHE CARES NOTHING ABOUT YOU or ME!!!”
Schneider posted the same video online 18 times between Oct. 16 and Oct. 21.
Trent Schneider has also been accused of posting multiple violent messages about public officials on social media in 2022.
Trent Schneider has a record of many Lake County Circuit Court filings that go back to 1987, including a recent court case of foreclosure — Rocket Mortgage, LLC vs Schneider.
There are also three criminal felony cases on record going back to 1991 — Calculated Criminal Drug Conspiracy (offense date September 25, 1991), Phone Harassment Threatening to Kill in Zion (offense date July 4, 2005), and Aggravated Battery to a Peace Officer in Winthrop Harbor (offense date December 20, 2022).
Trent Schneider also has four court cases on record involving Orders of Protection.
Trent Schneider also has
Trent Schneider also has several traffic cases on record, including DUI in 2000.
*Expletives were the ‘F’ word.
A Winthrop Harbor man is in federal custody, accused of threatening to kill President Trump (Sabrina Franza/CBS Chicago). YouTube Tips ⓘ
Trent Schneider, of Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, was arrested in the 2800-block of 15th Street for threatening to kill Donald Trump, officials said (Karen Jordan/ABC 7 Eyewitness News). YouTube Tips ⓘ
A north suburban Winthrop Harbor man allegedly threatened President Donald Trump and several others online, promoting a federal raid that resulted in his eventual arrest (Julian Crews/WGN News). YouTube Tips ⓘ
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