President Donald Trump sought to clarify his stance on Friday regarding the consequences for Democratic lawmakers who urged military personnel to defy administration orders, denying he issued a death threat while maintaining the group committed “traitorous” acts.
The President’s remarks came during an interview on “The Brian Kilmeade Show,” following a volatile exchange sparked by a video featuring six Democrats—all with military or intelligence backgrounds—who instructed service members to refuse “illegal orders.”
On Thursday, Trump had characterized the lawmakers’ actions as “seditious behavior” that could potentially be “punishable by death.” When pressed by host Brian Kilmeade on Friday whether he was actively threatening the lives of these political opponents, Trump walked back the literal interpretation of his social media post while doubling down on the severity of the alleged offense.
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“I’m not threatening them, but I think they’re in serious trouble,” Trump told Kilmeade. “I’m not threatening death… In the old days, it was death.”
The President expanded on the distinction, suggesting that historical precedents for handling sedition were far harsher than current standards. “Today nothing’s a big deal. Today’s a different world… It’s a meeker, milder world,” Trump said. “But… I think what they did is really bad.”
Despite dismissing the idea of capital punishment, the President remained adamant that the lawmakers violated the law. He described the video as a “traitorous statement” and suggested, without citing specific evidence, that the military might be investigating the group.
“I believe they broke the law very strongly,” Trump asserted, claiming the directive given in the video constituted a serious violation.
The controversy centers on a video posted to X (formerly Twitter) by Michigan Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin on Tuesday. In the clip, Slotkin and five colleagues accused the Trump administration of attempting to pit the armed forces and intelligence community against American citizens.
The lawmakers explicitly advised personnel to uphold their oaths by refusing orders they deemed illegal. This challenge strikes at the core of the chain of command; under Article II of the Constitution, the President serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and oversees executive branch intelligence agencies like the FBI and CIA.
While the President expressed uncertainty regarding what specific repercussions the Democrats might face in this “modern day” legal landscape, he left no doubt about his view of their loyalty. “That was seditious behavior,” he concluded. “That was a big deal.”
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