White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt takes questions from reporters during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 20, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Amid tremendous uproar on the left over President Donald Trump calling for the arrest of six Democratic lawmakers for “seditious behavior,” and even promoting a call for them to be hanged, the White House is walking back what has been described as Trump’s “violent rhetoric,” by saying he wants them to be held accountable.

The Democrats, all veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or Intelligence Community, recorded a video reminding members of the military and the IC of their legal responsibility to not obey illegal orders.

Trump called their remarks “seditious behavior at the highest level,” and said that they should be “arrested and put on trial.” He also called the six lawmakers “traitors,” and wrote: “Seditious behavior, punishable by death!”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, asked about his attack on the Democratic representatives and senators, defended the president while appearing to attempt to minimize what Democratic leaders called “violent rhetoric.”

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“To suggest and encourage that active duty service members defy the chain of command is a very dangerous thing for sitting members of Congress to do,” Leavitt claimed, “and they should be held accountable, and that’s what the president wants to see. ”

When asked if Trump was encouraging political violence, Leavitt replied, “Why aren’t you talking about what these members of Congress are doing to encourage and incite violence?”

“They are literally saying to 1.3 million active duty service members, to defy the chain of command,” she charged.

U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), a former CIA officer, responded to Trump’s remarks by saying that Trump had “threatened myself and a number of other service and veteran lawmakers with arrest, trial, and death — because he didn’t agree with a video we put out this week.”

“I refuse to believe that this is the new normal,” she stated. “I refuse to believe that we are going to use fear and intimidation against people we disagree with. And I’m not going to be forced away from speaking up on behalf of my country.”

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House Democratic leaders said they had contacted Capitol Police to help protect the six Democrats after the president’s remarks, which they denounced as “disgusting and dangerous death threats” and “violent and unhinged rhetoric.”

“I’ve never seen a president who has gone this low,” said Leader Schumer. “I’ve never seen a president or heard of a president who has done more to encourage political violence. I have asked the Capitol Police to give special protection and keep an eye on [Elissa] Slotkin and [Mark] Kelly as well because you gotta worry after the president says these things.”

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