A Florida man was arrested this week after posting disturbing threats against former President Donald Trump, including a funny challenge to engage in a fatal confrontation while unclothed.
Kendal Aaron Todd, 42, of St. Lucie County, was taken into custody after uploading an 80-second video to social media containing what authorities described as “escalating threats” against the former president.
“Donald Trump has personally made business decisions which have hurt so many different reincarnated Jesuses,” Todd said in the expletive-filled video. “Because of Donald Trump, every single person in the world is cursed. Donald Trump is the Antichrist.”
The video took a more sinister turn when Todd issued his unusual challenge to the former president, stating: “I’m going to cut you up with a chainsaw and put you in acid.”
St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro told Florida television station WPBF that Todd’s behavior raised serious concerns. “He just kept escalating his behavior,” Del Toro said. “He got the attention obviously of the United States Secret Service, and that got our attention.”
The sheriff noted that deputies had been monitoring Todd for more than a week due to concerns about his mental health. When they attempted to speak with him at his home, he reportedly became combative, refused to open the door, and threatened violence.
“No matter what political party you’re on, violence and political arena is never the right thing,” Sheriff Del Toro stated. “And we’ve had attempts on our president’s life before, and we’re not taking any chances.”
A St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, working in conjunction with the U.S. Secret Service, made the arrest on Monday afternoon at Todd’s home on Metzger Street in Fort Pierce. He is charged with Written Threat to Kill or Do Bodily Harm and is being held at the St. Lucie County Jail with bond set at $500,000.
Court records reveal that on March 11, the Sheriff’s Office filed a risk protection order petition seeking permission to remove any weapons from Todd’s possession. The filing noted that Todd had been involved in a “recent act or threat of violence against themselves or others” and “may be seriously mentally ill or may have recurring mental health issues.”
The records also indicate that a relative reported Todd had “suicide by cop ideations” and had been treated under Florida’s Baker Act nine months earlier in December 2023. The Baker Act allows people with mental illness to be held in a mental health facility for up to 72 hours if deemed a threat to themselves or others.
Ann Cunningham, who lived near Todd for years, told WPTV that her neighbor “acts like a vampire. Because he travels at night, you don’t see him during the day.” Despite his unusual behavior, she expressed shock at the nature of his arrest.
“A lot of people dislike Trump, but you know, you have to keep that to yourself,” Cunningham said. “You don’t go threaten people’s lives.”
The incident comes after Trump has faced two assassination attempts, including one in July 2024 when he was wounded by a bullet that grazed his ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and another in September 2024 when Secret Service agents spotted an armed individual near his Palm Beach golf course.
