Derek Lopez, the ex–Illinois State University teaching assistant seen in a viral video flipping a Turning Point USA table, has been arrested on federal charges for alleged threats to assassinate former President Donald Trump — just weeks after FBI agents had warned him about violent posts.
Federal authorities have charged 27-year-old Derek Lopez — the man whose outburst at a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) table on the Illinois State University campus went viral — after he allegedly posted a series of explicit online threats to kill former President Donald Trump. Court records say Lopez was interviewed by the FBI earlier in October and was clearly told the difference between protected speech and criminal threats, but he continued posting increasingly violent content, including a video showing a gun and an image of Trump with crosshairs.
FBI: He Was Warned, Then Posted Worse
According to an FBI affidavit, agents met with Lopez on Oct. 9 and “multiple times” explained that threatening communications are not protected by the First Amendment. Even after that, investigators say he went back online and shared videos and posts that directly referenced killing Trump — including an Oct. 27 post on X that read, “I’m gonna kill Donald Trump, idgaf.” Those posts were still public when investigators documented them.
Viral TPUSA Table Flip Led to Firing
Lopez had already lost his teaching assistant job after an Oct. 17 incident in which he walked up to a TPUSA recruitment table on campus and flipped it over, scattering flyers, buttons, and signs. The video raced across social media and Illinois State University later confirmed he was terminated on Oct. 20 over the confrontation and related disorderly conduct charges. The affidavit notes he was arrested locally for that campus outburst before federal agents moved in over the threats. Posts Also Referenced Slain TPUSA Founder
Investigators said Lopez commented on a social post appearing to memorialize TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk — assassinated at a Utah Valley University event on Sept. 10 — claiming responsibility for the killing. That comment, along with the gun video and the Trump death threat, helped agents make the case that Lopez was escalating and posed a credible danger.
