Los Angeles Podcaster Charged With Threatening to Kill Trump
A Los Angeles podcaster has been indicted on federal charges accusing him of threatening to kill President Trump and stalking one of Trump's former personal attorneys, according to prosecutors. Benjamin Azariah Southworth, 40, was arrested Thursday by the FBI at his Westlake apartment, pleaded not guilty that same afternoon in U.S. District Court, and is being held without bond ahead of a court date next month.
What Prosecutors Allege
The indictment centers on a string of posts prosecutors say Southworth made across his website, TikTok, Instagram and two YouTube accounts between January and May. On April 7, he allegedly posted an Instagram video stating, "I have been vocal in calling for the execution of Donald Trump," followed by the words "Kill Donald Trump," prosecutors said in charging documents.
Weeks earlier, on March 31, he allegedly posted a separate message calling for the president's death and shared a video depicting himself appearing in the Oval Office and raising a knife toward Trump, conduct outlined in court filings. He faces one count of threatening the president, which carries a maximum five-year sentence. None of the allegations have been proven in court, and Southworth has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
A Pattern of Alleged Harassment
Separately, prosecutors allege Southworth posted a TikTok video in January that included the home address and a photo of the residence belonging to Jay Sekulow, a former personal attorney to Trump, alongside the caption "No peace for traitors."
Between January and May, he is also accused of leaving abusive voicemails and making repeated calls to Sekulow's wife and son, conduct detailed in the federal indictment. Those allegations form the basis of a cyberstalking count and a separate charge of harassment via interstate telephone communications, each carrying additional prison time if he is convicted.
Officials Respond
Attorney General Todd Blanche said "we will hold perpetrators of violent threats accountable, and anyone who makes threats online will not be allowed to hide behind their screens." First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli added that "threatening an elected official with violence is a serious offense," pointing to the arrest as a sign prosecutors intend to pursue such cases aggressively.
Who Is Benjamin Southworth?
Southworth hosted a podcast called "Yass, Jesus!" and previously appeared on "The Remix," a Christian reality show, before building a following as what he has described online as an "artivist" challenging Christian nationalism and anti-LGBTQIA+ bigotry.
It remains unclear whether he has retained an attorney able to speak on his behalf, and no statement from Southworth has been made public. Court records do not indicate any prior guilty pleas related to threats against public officials. If convicted on all three counts, he could face up to 12 years in federal prison combined, though sentencing outcomes vary widely and no trial date has been set. The case is being prosecuted out of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, where Southworth's arraignment took place this week.
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