On Friday, President Donald Trump moved to tone down remarks he made the previous day, when he accused several Democratic lawmakers of sedition after they released a video reminding U.S. service members that they are not obligated to follow illegal orders.
In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump claimed the lawmakers had engaged in “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” He added, “This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP??? President DJT.”
Appearing Friday morning on Fox News Radio with Brian Kilmeade, Trump tried to walk back the implication that he was calling for executions, while still insisting the lawmakers had crossed a legal line.
“I’m not threatening death, but I think they’re in serious trouble. In the old days, it was death. I’m not threatening them, but I think they’re in serious trouble. I would say they’re in serious trouble,” Trump said.
He continued: “But in the old days, if you said a thing like that, that was punishable by death. What they said is, I mean, I don’t know about the modern day things, because, you know, modern day is a lot softer.”
Why the Clash Is Drawing Attention
Trump’s Thursday post landed amid rising anxiety about political violence in the United States, following the high-profile assassinations of conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk and Minnesota Democrat Melissa Hortman and her husband.
The Democrats in the video say they were reminding military personnel of their sworn duty to the U.S. Constitution, not the occupant of the Oval Office. Trump administration officials, however, accused them of encouraging troops to rebel against the Commander in Chief.
Trump’s Accusations and His Attempted Clarification
Trump’s Truth Social post, explicitly linking “seditious” conduct to a punishment of death, alarmed Democrats and their allies. At the same time, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and some Republicans argued that the lawmakers’ video, not Trump’s rhetoric, was the real source of “violence and chaos.”
On Friday, Trump insisted he was not literally calling for Democratic lawmakers to be put to death for recording a video urging troops to refuse unlawful orders, but he again portrayed them as criminals.
“These are people that, in my opinion, broke the law. Now what happens to them? I can’t tell you. But they broke the law,” he told Kilmeade.
Who Appeared in the Video
The Democrats featured in the video are Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Representatives Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan, New Hampshire Representative Maggie Goodlander, and Colorado Representative Jason Crow.
All have backgrounds in the military or intelligence community, and they responded forcefully to the president’s social media broadside, stressing that their oath to “support and defend the Constitution” does not expire.
Kelly told MS Now on Friday morning that Trump’s comments only underlined why he and his colleagues felt compelled to speak out, citing escalating threats against himself, his family, and other lawmakers.
Houlahan told CNN she was worried about her staff and family, and said she was stunned that the president had effectively called for her death.
The group has remained firm in its position that U.S. military personnel have both the right and the obligation to refuse orders that violate the Constitution or other federal laws, even if those orders come from Trump.
The White House, by contrast, has suggested that such messaging verges on sedition—typically defined as inciting rebellion against the government or attempting to overthrow it. Under federal law, sedition can carry penalties including large fines and lengthy prison terms.
Reactions From Lawmakers and Legal Experts
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly said Friday on MS Now: “My family has suffered from political violence. My wife, Gabby Giffords, was nearly assassinated, shot in the head at a political event. We have rising political violence in this country. Even the president—two assassination attempts—he should understand that his words have significant weight with the American people, and people react to things that he says.”
Representative Chrissy Houlahan told CNN on Friday morning: “I’m just continually stunned by the fact the commander in chief, the president of the United States, has called for my death. And that’s something that should be chilling for everybody, and everybody should be worried about their safety in this nation when the president can yield that sort of statement.”
Peter Zeidenberg, a former federal prosecutor, previously told Newsweek: “The statements made by the representatives were legally accurate; servicemen are not supposed to follow illegal orders. There is nothing improper, much less seditious, about that statement. The question I would ask the White House is whether they expect the military to obey an illegal order?”
House Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN’s Manu Raju on Thursday: “I know the [Department of Justice] and the Pentagon are looking into the legality of all of that. But what I can address is what everybody knows—that was 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.”
What Could Come Next
Although Trump has since softened his language about the Democrats involved, Johnson has indicated that the Department of Justice may still pursue the matter, leaving open the possibility of further legal or political fallout.
