Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin has declared she refuses to be intimidated after former President Donald Trump suggested she and five fellow lawmakers should face imprisonment or even the death penalty.
A Direct Threat and a Defiant Response
The political firestorm erupted after Senator Slotkin, a former CIA analyst, joined five other Democratic colleagues in posting a video directed at active-duty US military personnel. In the clip, the lawmakers, all of whom are military veterans or former intelligence professionals, urged troops to uphold their oath to the Constitution and refuse illegal orders.
Trump responded with fury on his Truth Social platform, accusing the group of treason and seditious behaviour. In a series of posts, he wrote that their words "cannot be allowed to stand" and suggested the punishment could be death. "LOCK THEM UP???" he asked in one post, followed by, "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!"
In a video posted to her own account, Slotkin responded with defiance. "I refuse to be intimidated out of defending the country I love," she stated. Speaking to Nexstar Media Group, she directly called on Trump to "button it up when it comes to threatening violence against people you disagree with."
Real-World Security Consequences
The online rhetoric has had immediate and serious real-world consequences for the politicians involved. Slotkin revealed that her office experienced a huge spike in death threats and intimidation following Trump's comments.
The situation has become so severe that Capitol Police have provided her with around-the-clock security. "We've got law enforcement out in front of my house," the Michigan lawmaker told MS NOW. "For all of us, it has fundamentally changed our security situation."
The controversial video was posted on Tuesday by Slotkin and five other Democrats, including Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Colorado Representative Jason Crow. In it, they warned that threats to the Constitution "aren't just coming from abroad, but from right here at home," and explicitly reminded service members that US law requires them to refuse illegal orders.
A Deep Political Divide in Washington
The incident has exposed the deep political fissures in Washington, with reactions split sharply along party lines.
Democratic leaders condemned the former president's language in the strongest terms. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries described Trump's rhetoric as disgusting and dangerous, stating he should "keep his reckless mouth shut." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X that Trump had "crossed yet another line that NO democracy can afford to tolerate."
Conversely, Republicans accused the Democratic lawmakers of overstepping. House Speaker Mike Johnson told The Independent the video was a wildly inappropriate act that encouraged troops to disobey orders. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed this during a press briefing, warning that breaking the chain of command "can lead to people getting killed."
The confrontation underscores the ongoing and volatile debate about the relationship between the military, the Constitution, and political leadership in the United States.
