US President Donald Trump speaks at the Saudi Investment Forum at the Kennedy Center, November 19, 2025, in Washington. Photo: Evan Vucci/AP.
The United States is facing a new political storm after US President Donald Trump suggested that six veteran Democratic lawmakers should be executed for having publicly urged military and intelligence officials to disobey illegal orders that might be issued from the White House.
The conflict erupted after six Democratic senators and Congress members—all with backgrounds in the CIA, Army, Navy, or Air Force—posted a video on social media reminding the US Armed Forces of their constitutional obligation to disobey orders that violate the law or the US Constitution.
Trump’s response was immediate and explosive. In a series of 19 posts on Truth Social on Thursday, November 20, Trump accused the lawmakers of “treason,” “sedition,” and “behavior punishable by death,” suggesting arrest, trial, and possible execution. He even shared a response to his post that demanded: “Hang them. George Washington would.”
U.S. President Donald J. Trump advocates for the arrest, prosecution, and execution of several Democratic lawmakers and military veterans who recently published a video urging servicemembers to refuse “illegal orders” and uphold their oath to the Constitution, calling them… pic.twitter.com/xhUnD41lBB
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) November 20, 2025
“Seditious behavior, punishable by death,” Trump wrote, taking his presidential rhetoric to an unprecedented level in the country’s modern political history.
The video that infuriated the president did not mention any specific orders. However, lawmakers warned of a pattern: Trump has ordered the deployment of troops and federal agents against US citizens, primarily in cities governed by Democrats, and has spearheaded controversial military operations in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that legal experts consider extrajudicial executions.
The six lawmakers, namely, Elissa Slotkin, Mark Kelly, Jason Crow, Chrissy Houlahan, Chris Deluzio, and Maggie Goodlander, warned the military that they must “uphold the Constitution” and that “no one should obey orders that violate the law.”
In their message, they asserted that the White House itself is “pitting our military and intelligence professionals against the American citizenry.”
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The Democrat response to Trump’s explosive comment was immediate. From the floor, Senate Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the president for “calling for the execution of elected officials,” warning about the effect of such language on an already polarized society: “He is lighting a match soaked with gasoline.”
Senator Chris Murphy said such a situation was “unseen in the country’s history” and that the targeted lawmakers “are in real danger” after being publicly labeled as traitors.
When asked directly, “Does the President want to execute lawmakers?” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt responded “no,” but then justified Trump’s accusations by stating that “every order the president gives is legal.”
She added that the Democrats’ message could be “punishable by law,” even though military experts pointed out that the US Military Code requires rejecting illegal orders, a principle historically upheld in military courts.
Former federal prosecutor Peter Zeidenberg responded to Trump by saying, “The lawmakers’ statements are legally accurate; there is nothing inappropriate or even remotely seditious about them.”
Analysts believe that this episode adds to a troubling pattern: Trump has publicly suggested that he might disobey the Constitution, explore a third term, and even hinted that there might be no more elections after 2026.
Other observers point out that these statements could be part of a strategy to divert attention from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, which continues to impact his administration.
Dialogue with Maduro?
On Friday, Trump declared, “I will speak with him in the not-too-distant future… I can’t tell you what, but I have something very specific to say,” referring to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
He made this comment during an interview with Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade, where he said that the United States will be “very involved,” but declined to provide further details.
This is the fourth time in a week that Trump has repeated this possibility. Previously, on Tuesday, he said from the White House, “He [Nicolás Maduro] wants to talk. I am open to talking with him. I talk to everyone.”
He had said the same on Monday and Sunday, when he was evaluating possible actions against Venezuela.
The repeated willingness to engage in dialogue occurs in parallel with the largest US military deployment in the Caribbean in decades, Operation Southern Lance, launched under the guise of combating drug trafficking. The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, the most modern one in the US fleet, arrived in Caribbean waters last Sunday, accompanied by guided-missile destroyers, frigates, and fifth-generation aircraft squadrons. Over 15,000 US troops are currently stationed near the Venezuelan coast.
Analysts believe that Trump’s rhetorical shift may be a simple distraction tactic ahead of a military operation against Venezuela, trying to lower Venezuelan defenses, in the same way it was done previously against Lebanon and Iran. Others believe that the shift in the balance of power within the US, along with the failure of the expected collapse of Venezuela under military pressure, may be the reasons behind Trump’s statements.
(Telesur) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SF
