Donald Trump Assassination Fears: Washington Man, 20, Indicted After Threatening to ‘Wear the Prez’s Face After Murdering Him’ in Disturbing Posts

A 20-year-old man from Washington state has been formally charged with two counts of threatening a federal official after posting a series of strange and disturbing messages online where he claimed he planned to assassinate President Donald Trump. Authorities say the posts caught their attention because they were not only aggressive but also included photos that appeared to show the young man holding weapons.

According to the criminal complaint, the man, Phillip Wharton, shared these posts over the course of August and September. Investigators say his messages quickly escalated in tone. In one post from the middle of August 2025, he allegedly wrote that “real punks” would agree with him and claimed that Elon Musk and Trump were “easy targets.”

Only a few days later, he reportedly shared a photo that appeared to show the side of his own face. Along with it, he wrote a disturbing caption describing what someone in the White House would supposedly see after he killed the president and wore the president’s face “as a mask.” Authorities described the message as one of the most alarming examples of the threats he posted online.

On August 19, 2025, Wharton allegedly made another comment, claiming that whenever he tweeted about assassinating the U.S. president, the posts were removed.

Several weeks later, a federal agent who was investigating the situation met with Wharton to talk about the seriousness of what he had written online. Court records say the agent warned him that making threats against the president can lead to serious legal consequences, including criminal charges.

During that meeting, Wharton reportedly explained that he had written the posts because he was angry about a belief he held that President Trump had been involved in the trafficking of two 14-year-old girls. The complaint also says he mentioned Trump’s past association with Jeffrey Epstein while explaining why he felt angry enough to make the statements.

The agent told him that threatening the president, even online, could lead to prosecution. According to the documents, Wharton appeared to understand the warning and agreed that he would stop making threats against the president.

However, investigators say the threats did not stop. On September 23, 2025, the FBI reported that Wharton had once again posted a message suggesting violence against the president. This time the post appeared on Instagram from an account using the username “saydi” or “@saydieonline.”

In that post, he allegedly wrote that he was going to kill the president the next day. He also added that it was not meant as a joke but rather a “confession admissible in a court of law,” which made the threat even more alarming to investigators.

Authorities eventually arrested Wharton in November 2025. Since then, he has been released on bond while the case continues to move through the legal system.

Around the same time, another man was also indicted for allegedly making violent threats against the president. The man, Markus E. Hamlett, was arrested earlier after investigators said he had made threatening statements directed at the president as well. Details about exactly what he said have not been fully disclosed, but reports suggest law enforcement had already been monitoring him before his arrest on February 4.

When Hamlett, who is 46 years old, was questioned by authorities, he reportedly told them that he had been sending emails and making phone calls for about a year because he was trying to get himself arrested.

Officials said the case was investigated by the United States Secret Service along with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida are handling the case, including Assistant United States Attorney Christopher C. Patterson.

Hamlett’s trial is scheduled to begin on April 6. If he is convicted, he could face up to five years in prison as well as a fine that could reach $250,000.