Donald Trump has again pushed American political rhetoric into dangerous terrain, this time suggesting that Democratic lawmakers who urged military personnel to refuse illegal orders should face prison, and possibly the death penalty.
“This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???” Trump wrote on Truth Social, before following up with an even darker message: “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!”
The remarks were triggered by a video released on November 18 featuring six Democratic senators and representatives, all with military or intelligence backgrounds, reminding service members of their duty to reject unlawful commands.
“We know you are under enormous stress and pressure right now,” the lawmakers said in the video. “Americans trust their military, but that trust is at risk.”
They went further, stressing a core principle of US military law: “You must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.”
While Republicans framed this as an attempt to incite defiance within the ranks, the Democrats pointed to long-standing legal doctrine. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, service members are required to follow lawful orders, but equally obligated to reject those that violate the Constitution or exceed legal authority. A 1969 military court ruling reinforced this, finding that executing a “patently illegal order” is not protected.
Trump’s homeland security adviser Stephen Miller accused the lawmakers of promoting “insurrection”, while Democrats argued their message was about safeguarding constitutional integrity, not undermining command structures.
“This is the law. Passed down from our Founding Fathers, to ensure our military upholds its oath to the Constitution — not a king,” Senator Elissa Slotkin responded.
Representative Jason Crow echoed that concern, accusing the administration of overreach through troop deployments for domestic enforcement and controversial strikes on boats in international waters.
“The President is trampling on the Constitution,” he wrote. “Stop politicizing our troops. Stop illegal military strikes. Stop pitting our servicemembers against the American people.”
Legal experts and the United Nations have raised alarms over such military actions, with UN human rights chief Volker Turk describing the recent boat-bombing campaign as extrajudicial and unlawful, noting that at least 83 people have been killed.
The White House has rejected these criticisms. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that “Every single order that is given to this United States military by this commander-in-chief… is lawful,” and warned that encouraging defiance within the ranks was itself dangerous.
Trump’s language follows a familiar pattern. From the “Lock her up” chants aimed at Hillary Clinton in 2016 to repeated calls for arrests of political opponents, the tactic of weaponising criminal punishment has long been central to his political strategy. The latest escalation, however, pushes beyond legal threats into rhetoric that flirts openly with state violence against elected officials.
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