A chilling pattern of threats has landed a 47-year-old Oregon man back in jail, this time for escalating his violent rhetoric towards the highest office in the nation.
Diedrich Holgate’s history with menacing communications began years ago, culminating in a conviction last July for threatening both Donald Trump and Joe Biden through social media posts and direct calls to the Secret Service.
During a June 2024 call, Holgate brazenly declared, “I have the right to kill the president,” and expanded his rage with a sweeping promise of destruction: “I will kill everyone…The president is going to die.” His animosity wasn’t partisan; he vowed to target either Trump or Biden, and to punish others for “treason.”
The threats didn’t stop there. Just two months later, Holgate again contacted the Secret Service, this time focusing on a particularly gruesome fate for the president and extending his threats to the First Lady and members of the Supreme Court, claiming no one was safe.
Released from custody in January with the condition of residing in a halfway house, Holgate’s freedom proved short-lived. Within weeks, his probation officer sought to revoke his release, citing a disturbing continuation of his violent threats.
The evidence came in the form of text messages sent directly to his probation officer, revealing a volatile mindset and a disturbing sense of entitlement. One message stated, “Trump’s gonna fkn pardon me or I’ll kill him!!!!”
His messages took an even darker turn, veering into religious extremism and personal attacks. He accused his probation officer of being a “traitor & infidel” and warned of eternal consequences, claiming they would be “erased” in a “second death.”
A magistrate judge swiftly found probable cause to believe Holgate had violated his release conditions, not only through the threats but also by failing to attend a scheduled meeting with his probation officer and violating the halfway house’s rules by vaping.
Holgate now awaits a hearing on March 26, remaining in custody as authorities assess the severity of his continued threats. This isn’t his first encounter with the law over intimidation.
In 2018, he was previously convicted for sending threatening voicemails to two judges in Travis County, Texas, demonstrating a long-standing pattern of aggressive and menacing behavior directed towards those in positions of authority.
