President Donald Trump has condemned six Democratic lawmakers for urging military members to ‘refuse illegal orders’, calling their actions ‘sedity’ and demanding their arrests. The lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Mark Kelly and Rep. Jason Crow, appeared in a video titled ‘Don’t Give Up the Ship’, which has drawn sharp criticism from the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers. Trump labeled their behavior as a threat to national security and warned that such conduct could lead to the collapse of the country.
The video, introduced by Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., has sparked backlash from both the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers. The lawmakers in the video, all of whom have served in the military or intelligence community, included Slotkin, Sen. Mark Kelly, Reps. Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, Chrissy Houlahan, and Jason Crow. Their appeal, which frames the actions as a warning to troops to ‘stand up for our laws’ and ‘refuse unlawful orders’, has been met with accusations of undermining national security and military discipline.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth responded to the video on X, writing, ‘Stage 4 TDS,’ a reference to Trump Derangement Syndrome, while Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., echoed the sentiment during an appearance on The Faulkner Focus. Blackburn criticized the lawmakers for suggesting that elected officials could instruct troops to defy orders, calling the behavior ‘inconceivable.’
Slotkin’s ‘No Troops in Our Streets Act,’ which would empower Congress to block National Guard deployments inside cities, has also drawn scrutiny. Trump has expanded National Guard operations to places like Los Angeles, Portland, and Chicago amid rising violent crime. The video and the lawmakers’ actions have intensified political tensions, highlighting the deepening divide over military authority and domestic deployments.