Trump says telling military to refuse illegal orders ‘punishable by death’

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday assailed Democratic lawmakers who told members of the U.S. military they must refuse any illegal orders, calling them traitors who could face execution.

At a news briefing later, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said “no” when asked whether the president wanted to execute members of Congress, but she castigated the Democrats for encouraging members of the military to defy the chain of command.

Trump reposted an article about a video released on Tuesday by six Democratic lawmakers who served in the military or in the intelligence community. “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” the Republican president wrote in a Truth Social post.

“This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country,” Trump wrote in an earlier post. “Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???”

Trump’s posts on Thursday are the latest example of him calling for punishment of those he sees as political enemies. Since returning to the presidency in January, Trump has occasionally called for imprisoning adversaries and his Justice Department has targeted critics such as former federal officials John Bolton and James Comey.

In November 2021, Trump defended the chants of his supporters who called for hanging Vice President Mike Pence as they stormed the U.S. Capitol in a deadly riot on January 6 of that year.

Top Democrats in Congress said Trump’s words could incite violence and that they had contacted U.S. Capitol Police to ensure the Democratic lawmakers’ safety. Many Republicans were silent on the matter.

1:26 Democrat lawmakers release video telling U.S. military members to refuse any illegal orders

The lawmakers include Senators Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA analyst and Iraq war veteran, and Mark Kelly, a former astronaut and Navy veteran, as well as Representatives Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan.

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In the video, they directly address members of the U.S. military and intelligence community, saying the Trump administration was pitting those institutions against the American people and threatening tenets of the U.S. Constitution.

“We know you are under enormous stress and pressure right now,” they said.

“Our laws are clear: You can refuse illegal orders,” said Kelly of Arizona. The other lawmakers offer a similar refrain before Slotkin concluded: “We need you to stand up for our laws, our Constitution. Don’t give up the ship.”

The lawmakers did not refer to any particular incident or scenario, and did not provide any examples of orders that they might consider illegal.

After Trump’s post, Slotkin wrote on X that she and her colleagues would continue to defend the Constitution. “No threat, intimidation, or call for violence will deter us from that sacred obligation,” the Michigan senator added.

For civilians, U.S. law has no provision for a charge of sedition, although “seditious conspiracy” carries a maximum penalty of 20 years. For troops, the Uniform Code of Military Justice includes a section on sedition, with possible penalties including death.

Some Democrats in Congress have been sharply critical of Trump’s military strikes on suspected drug traffickers in the southern Caribbean and the Pacific, focusing on the legality and lack of transparency. There have also been concerns that Trump will launch an attack on Venezuela itself.

Democrats have also challenged Trump’s attempts to deploy National Guard personnel to support immigration crackdowns in U.S. cities.

2:04 Trump says U.S. cities should be ‘training grounds’

“Calling for the execution of senators and members of Congress for reminding our troops of that is chilling behavior we should expect from authoritarians … not the president of the United States,” Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, said in a statement. “Every one of my Republican colleagues needs to stand up and swiftly condemn this.”

Numerous Republican senators on Thursday declined to comment on Trump’s remarks.

“Well, that’s his opinion,” said Senator Tim Sheehy, a Montana Republican and former U.S. Navy SEAL.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, told reporters he “hated” the Democrats’ video but called Trump’s reaction to their message “over the top.”

“This is the most irresponsible thing I’ve seen from members of Congress, period, but what the president said I don’t agree with,” Graham said.

Senator Chuck Schumer, who leads his chamber’s Democrats, called Trump’s posts an outright threat.

“When Donald Trump uses the language of execution and treason, some of his supporters may very well listen,” Schumer said in the Senate. “He is lighting a match soaked with gasoline.”