White House Defends President's Explosive 'Hang Them' Demand
The White House has publicly supported President Donald Trump's shocking call for a group of Democratic legislators to be executed by hanging. The controversy erupted after the lawmakers participated in a social media video urging service members to refuse illegal orders.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused the senators and representatives of delivering what she termed a radical message that could severely disrupt the military's chain of command. This defence came during a press briefing on Thursday 20 November 2025 in Washington, D.C.
Trump's Truth Social Outburst
Earlier that day, President Trump took to his Truth Social platform to accuse several Democratic figures of engaging in seditious behaviour. He specifically named:
- Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan
- Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona
- Representative Jason Crow of Colorado
- Representative Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire
- Representatives Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania
Trump labelled them traitors to our country who should be arrested and put on trial. In a subsequent post, he repeated his accusation in all-caps and claimed such behaviour is punishable by DEATH. He also shared a repost from another Truth Social user that simply stated: HANG THEM.
Legal Reality Versus Political Rhetoric
When questioned about the president's call for executing elected officials, Press Secretary Leavitt argued that journalists were focusing on the wrong aspect. She complained they were more interested in Trump's accusations than the lawmakers' actual statements.
Leavitt claimed the legislators - all of whom are military or intelligence community veterans - had conspired together to encourage defiance of the president's lawful orders. However, the video in question only urged service members to refuse illegal orders, which aligns with existing military law.
The sanctity of our military rests on the chain of command, and if that chain of command is broken, it can lead to people getting killed. It can lead to chaos, Leavitt stated. She added that the Democrats had misused their veteran credentials to signal to people serving under this commander-in-chief, Donald Trump, that you can defy him.
Despite these claims, neither Trump's allegation of seditious behaviour nor Leavitt's suggestion that their actions were punishable by law have legal foundation. The Uniform Code of Military Justice already requires service members to obey only lawful orders, excluding orders to commit crimes or target civilians.
Furthermore, the United States hasn't had laws criminalising speech as sedition since Congress repealed the Sedition Act in 1920. While a seditious conspiracy charge exists, it only applies to conspiracies to use force against the government and carries a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment - not death.
In a joint statement responding to Trump's execution call, the Democratic legislators noted the irony that Trump considers it punishable by death for us to restate the law. They affirmed their duty to support service members in fulfilling their constitutional oath to follow only lawful orders.
