An Ohio Democrat running for state attorney general has sparked outrage after posting a video on social media declaring he wants to “kill” President Donald Trump through capital punishment.
Elliot Forhan, a former state representative and current Democratic candidate for Ohio attorney general, posted the video in late January 2026. The timing coincided with widespread anger on the left over Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in cities like Minneapolis-St. Paul, where federal agents faced significant resistance.
As originally reported, Forhan opened the video in blunt and inflammatory terms, stating directly: “I want to tell you what I mean when I say that I am going to kill Donald Trump.”
He then attempted to frame the statement as a legal ambition rather than a threat. I mean I’m going to obtain a conviction rendered by a jury of his peers at a standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt based on evidence presented at a trial conducted in accordance with the requirements of due process resulting in a sentence duly executed of capital punishment,” Forhan said. He then repeated his original line, adding, “That is what I mean when I say I am going to kill Donald Trump.”
Forhan did not specify what crime, capital or otherwise, he believes Trump has committed.
The video drew an immediate and fierce response from conservatives on social media. Tennessee Republican activist Robby Starbuck weighed in on X, writing, “People with TDS are a lot like drug addicts. The high of impeachment declarations and jail just don’t give them the same high anymore. Now we have Democrats running on killing the President. This guy belongs in an insane asylum.”
The reaction across conservative circles was swift and largely consistent, with many condemning the post as reckless and dangerous, particularly given that Trump has already survived multiple assassination attempts during his political career.
Whether the video triggers any formal legal review remains to be seen. But for a candidate seeking the state’s top law enforcement position, the optics of opening a campaign video with “I want to kill” the sitting president is, to put it mildly, an unusual strategic choice.