President Donald Trump stands outside the White House, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon).
A U.S. Air Force veteran from Michigan is behind bars for allegedly threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump over his administration's LGBTQ policies and stance on immigration, including an Instagram post that stated, "I am going to kill trump raise him from the dead and kill him again," according to federal investigators.
Joshua Young, 21, of Ishpeming, is charged with threatening to kill and injure the president, and transmitting an interstate threat for his social media screeds. Two of his alleged posts proclaimed, "Death to the dictator" and "Kill the dictator," while others apparently featured longer ramblings about why he felt the need to murder the country's commander-in-chief.
"The trump administration will not listen to peaceful protests," Young wrote on Facebook, according to a federal criminal complaint. "They can't comprehend it with their little rich braincells. The Whitehouse burned down once before, we need to burn it down again. This time with them in it."
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
Young allegedly added, "Their cries need to be heard all over the world. This is what we do to Nazis. Their reign of terror is over. DEATH TO POTUS. DEATH TO MAGA. #FreeAmerica."
Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Young allegedly said: "We need to bring back public executions and execute the trump administration from the world to see. We can't let that Nazi gain anymore power."
The former airman was ordered held last week by U.S. Magistrate Judge Maarten Vermaat based on the "weight of evidence" against Young and allegations that he poses a "serious danger to any person or the community," per Vermaat's order.
The felony charges Young is facing each carry potential penalties of five years in a federal prison. The threats he allegedly made online were posted in January, April and June across multiple platforms.
Authorities, including the U.S. Secret Service, were tipped off in September about the alleged posts and Young was visited on Oct. 7 by agents, according to the complaint.
"When asked why he made the comments … Young stated, 'I don't like what he's doing' referencing President Trump," the complaint alleges. "Young continued to explain he is a gay/non-binary person who aligns with the LGBTQ community and is angered by the administration's policies on LGBTQ rights."
Young went on to say that he is "frustrated and saddened with the current situation surrounding immigration rights" — telling investigators, "I hurt when others hurt," according to the complaint. "Young continued by stating the administration's 'lack of assistance and protecting the American people and protecting the elites' frustrates him."
Young admitted to being behind the posts and accounts linked to them, which used online aliases, per the complaint. He also allegedly confessed to wanting to target Trump specifically.
Young was a member of the Air Force from August 2022 until he was discharged in January 2024, the complaint says. He is being held in Marquette County.