Trump clarifies ‘punishable by death’ comment about Democrats wasn’t threat

President Donald Trump is clarifying his controversial “punishable by death” comment, saying he wasn’t threatening any lawmakers but emphasizing how serious he believes their actions were.

On Thursday, Trump responded to six Democrats who appeared in a video urging military members to refuse “illegal” orders. The video, posted on Tuesday by Sen. Elissa Slotkin, has gained nearly 17 million views on X.

“I’m not threatening them, but I think they’re in serious trouble,” Trump said Friday on Fox News Radio’s “Brian Kilmeade Show.”

On his platform Truth Social, Trump posted about the video several times. In one post, he wrote, “This is really bad, and dangerous to our country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???”

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In a follow-up post, he added, “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!”

The comments quickly drew criticism from Democrats, who accused Trump of threatening political rivals.

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But Trump pushed back Friday, saying his message referred to the historical punishment for sedition, not a call for it today.

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“In the old days, if you said a thing like that, that was punishable by death,” Trump said, doubling down on his claim that the lawmakers “broke the law.”

Trump also said he worries the video could confuse or influence some service members, suggesting troops might be encouraged to refuse orders. He noted that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche are looking into the situation.

“They’re looking into it militarily. I don’t know for a fact, but I think the military is looking into it, the military courts,” said Trump.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer slammed Trump’s posts. He said on the Senate floor that the president was explicitly calling “for the execution of elected officials.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also issued a statement, with his leadership team condemning the comments as “disgusting and dangerous.”