Democrats are warning of rising political violence after President Donald Trump responded harshly to a video made by six Democratic members of Congress.
In a video released Tuesday, the lawmakers urged U.S. service members to reject any unlawful orders.
It features representatives Jason Crow of Colorado, Chrissy Houlahan and Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, and Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, as well as senators Mark Kelly of Arizona and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan.
Highlights
- Six Democratic lawmakers with military or intelligence backgrounds urged troops to reject unlawful orders in a new video.
- President Trump called the Democrats' video 'seditious behavior, punishable by death,' escalating political tensions.
- Democrats and others condemned Trump's violent rhetoric, warning it could incite real political violence.
Democrats warned of rising political violence after Trump’s extreme response to their video
Image credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
All six of them have previously served in the military or the intelligence community.
“Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this Constitution. Right now, the threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but from right here at home,” the lawmakers tell military personnel in the video.
Trump, whose comments have only become more outrageous with recent Democratic victories in local elections, accused the members of Congress of “seditious behavior, punishable by death.”
“This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???” he reacted Thursday morning on Truth Social.
He then reshared a post that said, “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!”
Leaders in Congress and social media users reacted strongly to Trump’s threat.
“Death penalty for traitors – he should be careful what he asks for,” a Threads user responded.
An X user said, “Trump tried to overthrow our government almost 5 years ago, and is calling for Dems to be put to death for sedition. If you’re threatening Dems for reminding the military that they are obligated to not follow illegal orders, you’re admitting your orders are illegal.”
Many compared Trump’s statement to the 2021 Capitol riots, where crowds of Trump supporters attacked the Capitol after Trump’s speech, in which he repeated that the election was “stolen.”
Trump pardoned 1,600 of those supporters on his first day of his second term as president.
“Conveying the Uniform Code of Military Justice is NOT sedition. January 6th was sedition and Trump pardoned them all,” a user on X said.
Goodlander told The Independent, “I never expected that just simply and clearly stating what Federal law says, would ask the president to threaten violence against me, that that’s a situation we’re in.”
In the video, the six lawmakers urged U.S. military members to reject any unlawful orders
Image credits: Tom Williams/Getty Images
“It’s astounding that we live in a time when the president of the United States can openly threaten the lives of six members of Congress,” Houlahan told The Independent.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer painted a scary picture while discussing Trump’s influence: “When Donald Trump uses the language of execution and treason, some of his supporters may very well listen. He is lighting a match in a country soaked with political gasoline.”
Image credits: Tom Williams/Getty Images
Kelly had similar criticism, writing on X that his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, “nearly lost her life in an act of political violence. Words have consequences, especially when they come from the President of the United States.”
Giffords was shot in the head in 2011 during a constituent event in Arizona. Six people were killed and 13 others were injured.
At the White House, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that Trump wanted to execute lawmakers.
She instead criticized the Democrats, saying, “The sanctity of our military rests on the chain of command, and if that chain of command is broken, it can lead to people getting killed. It can lead to chaos.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters, “We had patriotic members of the House and the Senate have their lives threatened by Donald Trump in the most unhinged, unacceptable, unconscionable and un-American way.”
Image credits: Heather Diehl/Getty Images
Slotkin told MS NOW that Capitol police informed the group they would receive “24/7 security.” She said officers were now stationed outside her home.
“If the president is saying you should be hanged, then we shouldn’t be surprised when folks on the ground are going to follow suit and say even worse,” she told host Chris Hayes.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, also distanced himself from Trump’s comments.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he does not agree with Trump’s views on the matter
Image credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“What those folks [Democrats] did was ill-advised, unnecessary and clearly provocative,” Thune told reporters. “But I certainly don’t agree with the president’s conclusion on how we ought to handle it.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson was milder in his response against Trump. “What I read was he was defining the crime of sedition,” he told The Independent.
“But obviously attorneys have to parse the language and determine all that. What I'm saying, what I will say unequivocally, that was a wildly inappropriate thing for so-called leaders in Congress to do to encourage young troops to disobey orders.”
Image credits: Tom Williams/Getty Images
He later told reporters, “The words that the president chose are not the ones that I would use. Obviously, I don’t think that this is ... these are crimes punishable by death or any of that.”
The U.S. has seen several politically motivated attacks in recent years. Trump survived two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign. Charlie Kirk was killed two months ago.
Recently, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene spoke about how Trump's labeling of her as a “traitor” for her support of Democrats on releasing the Epstein files led to her receiving threats.
Image credits: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
“I am now being contacted by private security firms with warnings for my safety as a hot bed of threats against me are being fueled and egged on by the most powerful man in the world,” she wrote on X.
She later told CNN State of the Union host Dana Bash that these “types of words used can radicalize people against me and put my life in danger.”
Greene’s son also received a death threat, according to local police.
As political tension rises, Democrats warn that Trump’s rhetoric is adding fuel to an already volatile climate. Jeffries said the president must “recant his violent rhetoric before he gets someone killed.”