Trump denies he was 'threatening death' for Democrats who urged troops to defy illegal orders

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Friday, November 21, denied that he was "threatening death" against the Democrats who called for the military and intelligence community to defy his administration's orders.

Trump insisted that the Democrats who instructed service members and intelligence personnel to "refuse illegal orders" committed "seditious behavior" that should face legal repercussions.

Donald Trump says crime is serious but denies modern death threat

Trump first made the comments on Thursday, November 20, when he said the six Democratic lawmakers in the video may have committed a crime that was "punishable by death."

However, speaking on ‘The Brian Kilmeade Show,’ the president walked back the notion that death is a likely modern-day punishment, while maintaining his stance on the severity of their actions.

“I don’t know about modern-day things because modern-day is a lot softer — but in the old days, if you said a thing like that, it was punishable by death,” Trump said.

When host Brian Kilmeade asked if he was "threatening them," Trump replied, “I’m not threatening them, but I think they’re in serious trouble. I would say they’re in serious trouble. I’m not threatening death, but I think they’re in serious trouble. In the old days it was death. That was seditious behavior. That was a big deal. Today nothing’s a big deal. Today’s a different world … It’s a meeker, milder world. But … I think what they did is really bad.”

Donald Trump declares Democrats’ speech as traitorous and illegal

Although he never claimed there was a death threat, Trump called the Democrats' speech illegal and "traitorous." He remained uncertain about the exact consequences they would face but emphasized the severity of the violation.

"That was a traitorous statement. That was a horrible thing to do. I believe they broke the law very strongly," he said. "I think it's a very serious violation of the law." Trump added that he believed the military was actively investigating the Democrats regarding their video.

Democrats' video and constitutional roles explained

The video in question was posted to X by Democratic Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, featuring her and colleagues who previously served in the military or intelligence community. 

"We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community. The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution. Don’t give up the ship," Slotkin said.

They accused the Trump administration of "pitting" service members and intelligence officials "against American citizens."

According to Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution, the president is the commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces. His position as head of the executive branch, as described in Article II, Section 1, further places him in charge of intelligence agencies such as the FBI and CIA.