In a morning outburst that aides described as “just another sunrise,” President Donald Trump demanded the arrest and trial of several “seditious” Democratic lawmakers after they appeared in a video urging military and intelligence officials to “refuse illegal orders.” Trump declared their actions “punishable by DEATH!”, reserving the caps lock for matters of national importance.
The president then shared a supporter’s post suggesting the lawmakers be “hanged,” a recommendation he neither condemned nor clarified, reportedly because he was “still thinking about it.”
Democratic leaders blasted Trump’s comments as “unhinged,” “dangerous,” and “frankly, not very original,” calling on Republicans to condemn the threats “forcefully, or at least with something resembling a spine.” They also demanded Trump delete the posts, a request historically proven to be as effective as shouting at a tornado.
The uproar comes amid bipartisan alarm over rising political violence following recent high-profile assassinations, tensions Trump attempted to soothe by pouring metaphorical gasoline on live television.
