Kathrine Frich
A series of public messages from Democratic lawmakers has sparked an unusually fierce response from the White House.
Concerns about the boundaries of presidential authority and the role of the armed forces have taken on new urgency.
This week, a fresh political clash added even more friction to an already volatile environment.
Escalating rhetoric
Trump recently shared a post on his Truth Social platform, that could be seen as somewhat of a threat.
“Rebellious behavior, punishable by death!” the president wrote.
His remarks came after six Democratic members of Congress released a video on X calling on service members and intelligence officers to refuse unlawful instructions.
The Democratic Party replied sharply, writing on X:
“Trump just called for the death of elected Democrats. Absolutely disgraceful.”
The lawmakers involved, all with backgrounds in the military or intelligence community, argued that constitutional threats can arise “from here, at home,” and urged personnel to adhere to legal standards rather than political demands.
The group includes Senator Mark Kelly, a former Navy captain and NASA astronaut, and Senator Elissa Slotkin, who served with the CIA in Iraq.
They accused the administration of placing the armed forces in conflict with American citizens.
Criticism of deployments
In their video, the lawmakers did not specify which orders they believed were unlawful. However, they have repeatedly opposed Trump’s use of the military domestically and abroad.
The president has authorized National Guard deployments in several Democratic-led cities, including Los Angeles and Washington, despite objections from local leaders.
At the same time, the U.S. has carried out roughly 20 strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific targeting vessels accused of drug trafficking, resulting in at least 83 deaths.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, urged Washington to examine the legality of these operations, pointing to what he described as “solid evidence” of violations of international humanitarian law.
The Justice Department insisted on 12 November that the actions complied with the laws governing armed conflict.
Growing backlash
A separate group claiming to represent more than 360 former military and diplomatic officials publicly backed the six Democratic lawmakers.
Their statement argued that refusing illegal orders is a core principle of civilian oversight of the armed forces and warned against framing that doctrine as partisan defiance.
Senior figures close to Trump, however, maintain that the Democrats’ appeal represents a dangerous attempt to undermine the chain of command.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller wrote on X that the opposition was calling on military and intelligence leaders “to rebel against their commander in chief.”
Democratic leaders in the House denounced what they called the president’s “violent and unbridled rhetoric,” urging him to moderate his statements “before someone gets killed.”
Sources: France Presse (via Agerpres), Digi24
