Senator John Fetterman accuses President Donald Trump of ‘dangerous rhetoric’

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania accused President Donald Trump of “dangerous rhetoric” after the commander in chief criticized Democratic lawmakers who appeared in a video urging members of the military and intelligence agencies to refuse illegal orders.

“SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” Trump said Thursday in a Truth Social article.

In another message earlier Thursday, Trump said: “This is truly bad and dangerous for our country. Their words cannot stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???”

Fetterman, who was not among the six lawmakers in the controversial video, responded by condemning the president’s rhetoric.

SEN. FETTERMAN SHARES GRAPHIC PHOTO AFTER HEART RATE FEAR, DOCTORS SAYS “PUT ME TOGETHER”

Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, and President Donald Trump (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In a job on X, the senator said: “I strongly reject this dangerous rhetoric. Don’t threaten members of Congress. Republicans or Democrats. This is profoundly wrong, with no exceptions, ever.

Speaking about the video during an interview Friday on the “Brian Kilmeade Show,” Trump said he didn’t “know modern times…but in the past” such comments would have been “punishable by death.”

Trump said he was “not threatening” the lawmakers, but believes they “have serious problems.” He said they “basically” asked the military not to follow the president’s orders and noted that he believed the lawmakers had violated the law.

The six Democratic lawmakers who appeared in the video that sparked Trump’s ire included Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Rep. Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, Rep. Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania and Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado.

Deputy AG slams ‘heinous’ video of Democrats urging troops to ‘refuse illegal orders’

In the video, lawmakers accused the Trump administration of pitting the uniformed military and members of the intelligence community against American citizens, and they encouraged refusal of “unlawful orders.”

The six Democrats responded in a statement Thursday after Trump criticized them on Truth Social.

Trump defends ‘punishable by death’ comment, calls Democrats’ military video ‘seditious behavior’

President Donald Trump during the inauguration ceremony for U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor in the Oval Office of the White House, November 10, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Most tellingly, the President believes he is subject to the death penalty if we rewrite the law. Our military must know that we support them as they fulfill their oath to the Constitution and their obligation to follow only lawful orders,” they said at the press conference. statement. “All Americans must come together and condemn the president’s calls for our murder and political violence.”