Trump Demands Arrests After Democrats Tell Military Members to Reject Commands

Six Democratic lawmakers are facing severe backlash and accusations of sedition after releasing a video encouraging military service members to reject what they characterize as “illegal” orders from the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump responded forcefully to the video on Thursday, calling the actions “seditious behavior at the highest level” and demanding arrests. “Each one of these traitors to our country should be arrested and put on trial,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Their words cannot be allowed to stand. We won’t have a country anymore. An example must be set.”

In subsequent posts, Trump escalated his language, noting that such actions are “punishable by death” and adding, “This is really bad, and dangerous to our country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. Seditious behavior from traitors. Lock them up.”

The facts here are straightforward. Six Democrats, all of whom tout their military and intelligence backgrounds, appeared in a video posted Tuesday by Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan. The group includes Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona and Representatives Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, and Jason Crow of Colorado.

The video, titled “Don’t Give Up the Ship,” urges military members to “stand up for our laws” and “refuse unlawful orders.” Notably absent from the video is any context about specific legislation these lawmakers have introduced regarding National Guard deployments or military action against narcoterrorists. Instead, the message appears as a blanket encouragement for service members to second-guess their chain of command.

Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee articulated what many Republicans are thinking. “They have stage four Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Blackburn stated. “It is inconceivable that you would have elected officials that are saying to uniform members of the military who have taken an oath to protect and defend, that they would defy the orders that they have been given to execute their mission.”

War Secretary Pete Hegseth offered a similarly pointed response, writing simply, “Stage 4 TDS.”

Here is the logical problem with what these Democrats have done. The military operates under a clear chain of command for essential reasons. Service members do have an obligation to refuse unlawful orders, but that determination follows established military justice procedures, not the political opinions of opposition party members.

By creating a video that broadly encourages troops to question orders without specific legal grounding, these lawmakers are potentially undermining military discipline and effectiveness. They are inserting themselves into the chain of command in a manner that could create confusion and hesitation among service members trying to fulfill their duties.

The irony is rich. These same Democrats who spent years accusing Trump of threatening democratic norms are now encouraging members of the armed forces to make individual determinations about which presidential orders to follow. This represents a fundamental misunderstanding of how military authority functions in a constitutional republic.

If these lawmakers believe specific orders are unconstitutional, the proper recourse is legislation or judicial review, not viral videos aimed at creating dissent within the ranks. Their approach bypasses institutional processes in favor of direct appeals to uniformed personnel, which is precisely the kind of behavior that undermines civilian control of the military.

The question now is whether there will be consequences for this unprecedented action. Trump has made his position clear. The American people deserve to know whether encouraging military insubordination crosses a legal line, and if so, what accountability looks like for elected officials who engage in such conduct.