Trump calls for jail time for Democrats who urged military to refuse illegal orders

Washington DC - President Donald Trump said late Saturday that six Democrats involved in a video calling on military officers to refuse illegal commands "should be in jail."

President Donald Trump has threatened six Democratic lawmakers with jail time or even death after they posted a video urging military members to "refuse illegal orders."
President Donald Trump has threatened six Democratic lawmakers with jail time or even death after they posted a video urging military members to "refuse illegal orders."  © REUTERS

The Republican leader's remarks came after he accused the Democratic lawmakers on Friday of "seditious behavior, punishable by death."

Democrats slammed Trump's comments as "absolutely vile" threats against the six senators and representatives, all of whom have served in the military or intelligence community.

Trump took to social media on Saturday night, writing:

JD Vance calls Trump's "fascist" joke with Mamdani his all-time favorite MAGA moment
JD Vance JD Vance calls Trump's "fascist" joke with Mamdani his all-time favorite MAGA moment

"THE TRAITORS THAT TOLD THE MILITARY TO DISOBEY MY ORDERS SHOULD BE IN JAIL RIGHT NOW, NOT ROAMING THE FAKE NEWS NETWORKS TRYING TO EXPLAIN THAT WHAT THEY SAID WAS OK."

He said that the Democrats' message was "SEDITION AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL" and that "THERE CAN BE NO OTHER INTERPRETATION OF WHAT THEY SAID."

The video posted on social media Friday called on the military to "refuse illegal orders" and featured Arizona's Mark Kelly, Michigan's Elissa Slotkin, along with Jason Crow of Colorado, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, and Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire.

They did not specify which orders they were referring to, but Trump has ordered the National Guard into multiple US cities, in many cases against the wishes of local officials.

Abroad, Trump has also ordered strikes on a series of vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that have left more than 80 people dead and which experts say are illegal.

Trump makes previous allusions to death penalty

Trump has alluded to the death penalty on previous occasions.

In 2023, former US military officer Mark Milley told a journalist he had secretly called his Chinese counterpart after the January 6, 2021, riots at the US Capitol to reassure Beijing that the US remained "stable" and had no intention to attack China.

Trump subsequently wrote on social media that "in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!"

Cover photo: REUTERS

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