Democratic Veterans Challenge Military Orders Amid Controversy

This week, a group of six Democratic former lawmakers released a video urging military and intelligence personnel to disregard what they termed “illegal orders” from the Trump administration, although they didn’t specify which orders would fall under that category.

Responding to the video on Thursday morning, President Donald Trump shared his thoughts on Truth Social.

“Seditious acts deserve the death penalty!” he proclaimed, emphasizing his belief that this is a severe act of betrayal. He called for the arrest of those he labeled as traitors, warning, “Their words cannot be ignored — we don’t have a country anymore!”

Trump’s subsequent messages reinforced his stance that the situation is dire. “This is really bad and dangerous for our country,” he reiterated. He went on to label the comments from the Democratic lawmakers as treasonous acts.

The Democratic representatives involved include Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), and several others who conveyed a provocative message. In the video, they expressed that military and intelligence officials should stand against the Trump administration’s actions, assuring them, “We have your back.” They cautioned that trust in the military is at risk and insisted that illegal orders must be rejected.

Trump, in another post, declared, “Sedition is punishable by death!” He characterized the Democratic representatives’ actions as part of an insurrection against American institutions, including the CIA and military, highlighting what he sees as a critical juncture in American democracy.

The video submitted by Slotkin had garnered significant attention, reaching 12 million views by Thursday morning.