Trump Slams Democrats Who Urged Military to Defy Orders: ‘Sedition Is a Major Crime’
President Donald Trump is calling for serious consequences after a group of Democrat lawmakers appeared in a video suggesting that U.S. military personnel should disobey his commands. The president said those remarks crossed a legal and constitutional line, labeling them “sedition at the highest level.”
The controversy surfaced when Sen. Elissa Slotkin and others appeared in a video urging troops to ignore orders, using the phrase “Don’t give up the ship.” Trump reacted forcefully on Truth Social, writing that those lawmakers “should be in jail right now,” calling their actions dangerous and accusing them of inciting rebellion.
We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community.
The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution.
Don’t give up the ship. pic.twitter.com/N8lW0EpQ7r
— Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@SenatorSlotkin) November 18, 2025
Trump added that top legal experts agree such calls could amount to criminal behavior, saying Democrats who encouraged defiance of the commander-in-chief had committed a “crime of serious proportion.”
His senior adviser Stephen Miller echoed the president’s outrage, warning that it amounted to a direct call for rebellion inside the military and intelligence community. Miller pointed to a broader pattern of Democrats refusing to enforce federal law and defending acts of resistance against federal officers.
.@StephenM: “It is insurrection—plainly, directly, without question… It’s a general call for rebellion from the CIA and the armed services of the United States, by Democrat lawmakers… it shows what a dangerous moment we’re in.” https://t.co/SX9fpzvlnp pic.twitter.com/DexzG7eraq
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 19, 2025
Former CIA operations officer Bryan Dean Wright also weighed in, arguing that the video was designed as a propaganda tool and that Slotkin knew exactly what kind of reaction it would trigger. Wright noted her background as a CIA analyst, saying she was fully aware of how messaging campaigns are crafted to influence public perception and morale.
While Trump initially noted that sedition can carry the death penalty, he later clarified that he was not calling for execution — but insisted that the behavior must be punished and never normalized.
The dispute highlights growing political battles over military obedience, national security, and attempts by some Democrats to publicly challenge the authority of the president as commander-in-chief.