President Donald Trump wrote today that six Democratic lawmakers had engaged in “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” after they appeared in a video reminding U.S. military and intelligence personnel that their oath is to the Constitution — and that unlawful orders must be refused.
What followed was immediate and national. Democratic leaders said the president’s language escalated a routine message into a security crisis. Lawmakers contacted the U.S. Capitol Police. Legal observers pointed out that the message in the video had repeated settled law. The president’s response framed it as criminal.
The video featured Elissa Slotkin, Mark Kelly, Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Chrissy Houlahan, and Maggie Goodlander. Their joint message was:
“Our service members should know that we have their backs as they fulfill their oath to the Constitution and obligation to follow only lawful orders.”
That principle is central to U.S. military law. Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice requires troops to follow lawful orders and reject unlawful ones. This rule protects the integrity of the armed forces. Orders that violate the Constitution or the law must not be followed. That duty is not optional. It is binding, and courts have upheld it repeatedly.
The lawmakers did not accuse anyone of giving illegal orders. They did not name names. They spoke in general terms about an existing legal obligation. No statute prohibits such a message.
President Trump reposted an article about the video and wrote:
“Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. An example MUST BE SET. President DJT.”
He followed up by writing:
“SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the president was “explicitly” calling for the execution of elected officials. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries’s office contacted the House Sergeant at Arms and Capitol Police.
Source: Fox News, same link.
Federal law defines sedition under 18 U.S. Code § 2384. It requires a conspiracy to overthrow, put down, or destroy the government by force. The lawmakers in the video did not advocate force. They referenced a routine legal standard taught in every military leadership course.
The United States has prosecuted sedition charges sparingly. The most recent conviction came in 2022, when members of the Oath Keepers were found guilty of seditious conspiracy for their roles in the January 6 Capitol attack. That case involved coordination, weapons, and a breach of a federal building.
No one has been executed for sedition in modern U.S. history. The last time someone was executed in a case involving seditious conduct was 1865, when Henry Wirz, the Confederate officer who ran the Andersonville prison camp, was hanged under military tribunal authority during the Civil War.
The current situation does not resemble those past cases. There was no violence, no planning, no conspiracy. The lawmakers delivered a vague but accurate reminder about the limits of military obedience. The president treated it as a criminal conspiracy, raising the temperature far beyond what the moment required.
It is especially concerning to equate the refusal to follow an unlawful order with sedition. That inversion of legal responsibility reverses the constitutional role of the armed forces. Obeying the law is not rebellion. It is what keeps the system from collapsing into personality-based rule. When a president suggests that fidelity to the Constitution is the same as treason, it sounds less like the voice of a democratic leader and more like the language of authoritarian regimes. That framing is not only legally incorrect. It undermines trust in civilian control and the lawful structure of military authority.
Not every political statement deserves a personal response. Not every general reminder should be treated as an attack. Sometimes it is better to take things at face value and let the facts stand on their own. Escalating vague language into crisis mode creates confusion, invites threats, and hardens the divide.
In a moment like this, Christians have a particular calling — to be peacemakers. Jesus taught that “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). That calling includes refusing to take the bait when political actors raise the stakes unnecessarily. The gospel calls believers to seek truth without provoking fear, and to resist language that fuels anger and division. In a time of deep polarization, silence in the face of falsehood is not peace — but neither is outrage that serves no purpose. As public discourse grows sharper, it becomes more urgent for people of faith to choose words and actions that reflect calm, wisdom and integrity.
Source: ReligiousLibertyTV on Substack
