FILE – President Donald Trump speaks to the media, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File).
A man in Oregon is accused of saying that he “was going to kill the president” in dozens of text messages to his probation officer, just weeks after being released from prison for threatening to hang Donald Trump “for treason.”
“Trump”s gonna fkn pardon me or I’ll kill him!!!!!” wrote Diedrich Holgate, 47, in one of his alleged threats while on probation, according to a federal petition for his arrest.
“I’m done playin,” Holgate allegedly told his probation officer. “Dead Dead Dead.”
The Texas native was convicted and sentenced last year for making a slew of threats to kill Trump and Joe Biden in posts on social media, direct messages to the White House, and calls to the U.S. Secret Service throughout 2024.
“The president is going to die,” Holgate said during a June 2024 call to the Secret Service’s Washington Field Office, according to his federal indictment. “I have the right to kill the president,” he added. “I don’t care if it is Trump or Biden.”
In August 2024, Holgate called back and said, “I will hang his ass for treason,” along with promising to “f—ing kill everybody,” according to the indictment.
“POTUS, FLOTUS, and SCOTUS,” Holgate said.
He was released on Jan. 21 and ordered to live at a Portland halfway house.
“The probation officer believes that the person under supervision has violated the following condition of supervision,” the arrest petition says, noting how Holgate was “terminated” from living at the halfway house for “smoking a vape” before he sent his alleged threats.
“Holgate has made multiple threatening statements via text message to his probation officer,” the petition alleges. “Probable cause has been established that a violation of supervised release has been committed.”
In his texts to the probation officer, Holgate allegedly told them, “You’re with me or You’re a traitor & infidel that’s taken the Mark of the beast. & Hell? That won’t last forever. Second death. You’ll be erased.”
The officer appeared in court on Thursday for Holgate’s preliminary hearing, during which they described how he repeatedly said he was “going to kill the President” and threatened that the officer “would be erased,” according to The Oregonian newspaper.
The officer said Holgate was going to “burn in hell” for reporting him. The officer told the court that they believed Holgate has the capacity to harm Trump. The judge overseeing the hearing said they didn’t find anything while questioning Holgate that suggested he didn’t have the mental competency to understand what was occurring and being alleged about his statements, per The Oregonian.
The judge reportedly ruled there was probable cause to find Holgate had violated the conditions of his release by issuing additional threats and failing to report to his probation officer as instructed, which the officer alleged happened just weeks after Holgate’s release. He also allegedly refused to live in approved housing.
Holgate was ordered to remain in custody pending his next hearing, which is scheduled to take place on March 26.
