U.S. President Donald Trump has ignited a political firestorm by suggesting the death penalty could be appropriate for Democratic lawmakers who recently encouraged military personnel to refuse unlawful orders. The dramatic escalation occurred on Thursday, November 20, 2025, when Trump took to his Truth Social platform to denounce the elected officials.
Trump's Explosive Social Media Posts
The controversy began when a group of six Democratic senators and representatives with military or intelligence backgrounds released a video on Tuesday via X (formerly Twitter). In the video, they emphasized that military professionals have both the right and responsibility to refuse illegal orders, though they didn't specify which particular orders they were referencing.
Trump responded with fury on Truth Social, writing in one post: "This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???"
He followed with an even more severe message that explicitly referenced capital punishment: "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!" The President further amplified the tension by reposting a message from another user that urged him to "hang them" and claimed George Washington would have taken similar action.
The Lawmakers and Their Message
The Democratic legislators behind the controversial video include prominent figures with distinguished national security credentials. Senator Mark Kelly, a former Navy officer and NASA astronaut, and Senator Elissa Slotkin, who served with the CIA in Iraq, were among the six signatories.
In their joint statement, the lawmakers expressed deep concern about the Trump administration's approach to military deployment. "Right now, the threats to our constitution aren't just coming from abroad, but from right here at home," they stated, adding specifically that military personnel "can refuse illegal orders."
The group accused the administration of "pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens," though they stopped short of identifying specific orders they considered unlawful.
Broader Context and Reactions
The confrontation occurs against the backdrop of several controversial military deployments under the Trump administration. Domestically, Trump has deployed National Guard units to multiple U.S. cities, often overriding objections from local officials, in efforts to control what the administration describes as rampant unrest.
Internationally, the administration has conducted strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. These operations, which began in early September, have resulted in more than 80 fatalities. Legal experts have questioned the strikes' legality, characterizing them as extrajudicial killings even when targeting known traffickers.
The White House and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth both condemned the Democratic lawmakers' message on Wednesday. However, the legislators received significant support from national security professionals. A group of more than 300 former national security officials, calling themselves the "Steady State," issued an open letter on Thursday expressing strong support for the six Democrats.
The former officials emphasized that the principle of military personnel refusing unlawful orders was "not controversial. It is not partisan. It is not new. And it is the bedrock of lawful civilian control of the military."
The extraordinary exchange highlights the deepening political divisions in Washington and raises fundamental questions about civil-military relations, free speech for elected officials, and the appropriate boundaries of political discourse regarding military obedience.
