Sen. Elissa Slotkin urged President Trump to "button it up" after he called six Democratic lawmakers "traitors" and suggested they be punished for telling service members they could refuse unlawful orders. Slotkin said her office has received a wave of death threats and that security measures have been increased. The six lawmakers — all with military or intelligence backgrounds — posted a video telling troops they may refuse illegal orders. The White House later said the president wanted the lawmakers to face consequences, not executions.
Slotkin Urges Trump to 'Button It Up' After He Calls Lawmakers 'Traitors' and Demands Punishment
Sen. Elissa Slotkin urged President Trump to "button it up" after he called six Democratic lawmakers "traitors" and suggested they be punished for telling service members they could refuse unlawful orders. Slotkin said her office has received a wave of death threats and that security measures have been increased. The six lawmakers — all with military or intelligence backgrounds — posted a video telling troops they may refuse illegal orders. The White House later said the president wanted the lawmakers to face consequences, not executions.
02:31 PM, 11/21/2025Politics
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) on Thursday urged President Donald Trump to "button it up" after he suggested that six Democratic lawmakers should be jailed or even executed for telling service members they can refuse unlawful orders.
Slotkin said the president's comments — calling the lawmakers "traitors" — have coincided with a surge of threatening messages aimed at her office. "I would just call upon him and everybody to button it up when it comes to threatening violence against people you disagree with," she told a reporter.
She added that her office has seen a "huge spike in death threats and intimidation on our phones and on our emails and websites," and that U.S. Capitol Police and House Sergeant at Arms William McFarland have urged increased security for her.
Video to service members
On Tuesday, six Democratic lawmakers — Slotkin; Sen. Mark Kelly (Ariz.); and Reps. Chris Deluzio (Pa.), Maggie Goodlander (N.H.), Chrissy Houlahan (Pa.) and Jason Crow (Colo.) — posted a short video on the social platform X addressing active-duty service members. "Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders," they said. All six have backgrounds in the military or intelligence communities.
President's response and clarification
"Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???" the president wrote on his platform, later adding, "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!"
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later sought to clarify that the president was not advocating executions of members of Congress, saying the administration believes the lawmakers should "face consequences" for encouraging active-duty personnel to defy the chain of command.
Reactions and legal context
House Democratic leaders condemned the president's rhetoric as dangerous, while Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he viewed the comments as defining sedition. Under federal law, those convicted of seditious conspiracy may face up to 20 years in prison; separate statutes allow capital punishment in limited circumstances for certain offenses by military personnel.
Requests for comment were sent to U.S. Capitol Police and the Office of the Sergeant at Arms.