Trump accuses Democratic lawmakers who urged military to disobey illegal orders of ‘seditious behavior, punishable by death’

By Samantha Waldenberg, Arlette Saenz, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump on Thursday called for the arrest of Democratic lawmakers who urged service members and intelligence officials to disobey illegal orders that might be issued by the administration, calling it “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!”

“It’s called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

He was referring to half a dozen members of Congress who previously served in the military or intelligence community who posted a video on X earlier this week urging the military and intelligence community to “refuse illegal orders.”

“Their words cannot be allowed to stand – We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example MUST BE SET,” Trump wrote, going on to add in a subsequent Truth Social post: “LOCK THEM UP???”

He added “punishable by DEATH!” in yet another post later Thursday morning, after reposting another user’s post that read: “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!”

In a joint statement, the six Democratic lawmakers vowed they “will not be intimidated.”

“What’s most telling is that the President considers it punishable by death for us to restate the law. Our servicemembers should know that we have their backs as they fulfill their oath to the Constitution and obligation to follow only lawful orders. It is not only the right thing to do, but also our duty,” the lawmakers said in part.

“But this isn’t about any one of us. This isn’t about politics. This is about who we are as Americans. Every American must unite and condemn the President’s calls for our murder and political violence. This is a time for moral clarity.”

Slotkin, appearing at a conference in Washington Thursday, said she was accompanied by security. “I think when a lion’s share of Americans understand that it is in their own power to push back on this kind of rhetoric and this kind of threat, that’s when we actually turn the tide,” she said.

The president’s remarks also drew an immediate outcry from Democratic lawmakers who were not in the video.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer slammed Trump’s comments, calling them “an outright threat.”

“Let’s be crystal clear: the President of the United States is calling for the execution of elected officials. This is an outright threat, and it’s deadly serious,” he said from the Senate floor.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his leadership team sharply condemned Trump’s comments and said they had been in touch with law enforcement authorities to make sure lawmakers were protected.

“We have been in contact with the House Sergeant at Arms and the United States Capitol Police to ensure the safety of these Members and their families. Donald Trump must immediately delete these unhinged social media posts and recant his violent rhetoric before he gets someone killed,” they said.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, a moderate member of Congress from Pennsylvania, posted on X that he “strongly” rejects the president’s “dangerous rhetoric.” Sen. Chris Murphy, meanwhile, said it was time to “pick a side.”

“If you’re a person of influence in this country and you haven’t picked a side, maybe now would be the time to pick a fucking side,” the Connecticut Democrat said in a video posted on social media.

But House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, defended Trump, calling the video that sparked his reaction “wildly inappropriate.”

“It is very dangerous. You have leading members of Congress telling troops to disobey orders. I think that’s unprecedented in American history,” Johnson said.

The Republican leader said he interpreted Trump’s suggestion of punishment by death to be the president simply explaining sedition.

“What I read was he was defining the crime of sedition. That is a factual statement, but obviously attorneys have to parse the language and determine all that,” he told reporters.

The lawmakers who posted the video that sparked Trump’s reaction did not specify which orders service members received, or might receive, that could be illegal. “No one has to carry out orders that violate the law, or our Constitution,” they said, adding, “Know that we have your back. … Don’t give up the ship.”

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Wednesday that the Justice Department will be taking a “very close look” at those lawmakers’ actions, calling it a “disgusting and inappropriate display of supposed leadership from the Democrat Party.”

This story has been updated with additional details.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Camila DeChalus, Sarah Ferris, Natasha Bertrand and Zachary Cohen contributed to this story.