U.S. President Donald Trump ignited controversy on Thursday by branding six Democratic lawmakers as “traitors” and asserting they could face execution after they urged members of the U.S. military to refuse illegal orders.
Reuters reported on Friday that The Republican leader reposted a video originally released on Tuesday in which the lawmakers, all with military or intelligence backgrounds, addressed service members directly about threats to constitutional principles.
“SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, adding in an earlier message, “This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???”
The targeted lawmakers include Senators Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA analyst and Iraq war veteran, and Mark Kelly, a former astronaut and Navy veteran, alongside Representatives Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, Chris Deluzio, and Chrissy Houlahan.
In the video, they warned that the Trump administration has been undermining the military and intelligence services while threatening core elements of the U.S. Constitution.
Top Democrats in Congress condemned the president’s statements, describing them as potentially inciting violence, and confirmed they had alerted U.S. Capitol Police to safeguard the lawmakers involved. Many Republican leaders have remained silent on the issue.
At a subsequent White House briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that Trump intended to execute members of Congress, but reiterated her criticism of the Democratic lawmakers for encouraging military personnel to challenge the chain of command.
Trump’s Thursday posts mark the latest episode in a pattern of targeting political opponents with calls for punitive action.
Since resuming the presidency in January, he has previously advocated for the imprisonment of critics, including former federal officials such as John Bolton and James Comey, and in 2021 defended supporters who chanted for the hanging of Vice President Mike Pence during the January 6 Capitol attack. - November 21, 2025
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