President Donald Trump went after six Democratic lawmakers, calling them traitors and saying they committed sedition. He wrote that what they did could be punished by death. The lawmakers had made a video earlier in the week telling military members they have the right to say no to orders that break the law.
According to New York Times, all six of the Democrats who made the video used to work in the military or intelligence agencies. This includes Senator Elissa Slotkin from Michigan, who worked for the CIA, and Senator Mark Kelly from Arizona, who was a Navy captain and also an astronaut. In their video, they talked straight to people serving in the military and intelligence community right now. Kelly said in the clip that the law is clear and you can refuse orders that are illegal.
Trump fired back with several angry posts on his Truth Social platform. One of his posts said “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” He also shared a message from someone else that said “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD!!” In another post, Trump wrote “This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???”
The Democrats were just reminding troops about basic military law
The lawmakers never pointed to any specific order in their video. They simply told military personnel they know things are stressful right now and reminded them about the promise they made to protect the Constitution. The group said that everyone in the military took an oath to defend the Constitution, just like they did. They also said the biggest threats to the Constitution are not just coming from other countries but from inside America too.
The video seems to be about worries over military attacks on boats near Venezuela that the government says are carrying drugs. These attacks have killed more than 80 people since September. Senator Slotkin talked to The New York Times this week and said military members on active duty have been reaching out to her because they are worried these operations might not be legal.
— AJ Huber (@Huberton) November 20, 2025
Good Thursday. President Trump: "It’s called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. An example MUST BE SET." This is Sedition, Treason, and Insurrection. pic.twitter.com/hgScPnX3MY
The Democrats said in their video that the current government is putting military and intelligence workers in a position where they have to go against American citizens. There have been reports that military personnel are seeking outside legal advice over controversial Trump missions, with lawyers saying that just following orders does not protect you if the orders are wrong.
Trump just called veterans "traitors" for telling military not to follow illegal orders. He called it “seditious behavior” and they should be "arrested and put on trial."
— Bryan Dawson
Orange Mussolini wants our military officers to violate their oath and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. pic.twitter.com/8yhhOFOm5M(@BryanDawsonUSA) November 20, 2025
The six Democrats put out a statement together after Trump made his threats. They wrote that the most telling thing is that the president thinks restating the law should be punished by death. Some Republicans also said Trump went too far, though not all of them. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he disagreed with Trump talking about the death penalty for these lawmakers, but he also called the Democratic video a bad idea and said it was meant to cause trouble.
This all happened during a time when American politics has seen a lot of violence. Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in September, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s house was attacked with fire on Passover in April. The messy political situation has hurt military work too, with service members saying they are working without getting paid because of government shutdown worries.
