President Donald Trump has tempered his earlier strong remarks regarding Democrats who encouraged military personnel to defy certain orders, which he initially suggested could warrant severe consequences.

In an interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade on Friday morning, Trump clarified his stance, saying, “I’m not calling for their execution, but they are indeed facing serious trouble. In the past, such actions were punishable by death.”

Trump commented on the modern approach to discipline, noting, “Today’s consequences aren’t as harsh as they once were. The contemporary era tends to be a lot softer.”

Trump’s remarks followed a series of posts on Truth Social where he criticized several Democratic lawmakers for a recent video. In this video, they urged U.S. military personnel to resist following “illegal orders.”

The video featured Senators Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, along with Representatives Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, Chris Deluzio, and Chrissy Houlahan, all of whom have military backgrounds.

The lawmakers did not specify which “illegal orders” they were referencing in relation to Trump, nor did they provide guidance on how soldiers should respond to such commands, leaving the video’s intent somewhat unclear.

‘Seditious behavior, punishable by death!’ the president wrote on Truth Social on Thursday reacting to the liberals calling for military disobedience. 

President Donald Trump softened his tone towards six Democrats on Friday after he labeled them as seditious ‘traitors’ who could face the death penalty. On Friday, Trump said ‘I’m not threatening death, but I think they’re in serious trouble’

Six Democrats – including Elissa Slotkin (pictured center left), Jason Crow (pictured center) and Chrissy Houlihan (pictured right) – are receiving round-the-clock protection from Capitol Police after Donald Trump accused them of ‘seditious behavior’ that should be ‘punishable by DEATH’

The president also reposted someone calling for the lawmakers to be executed. ‘Hang them George Washington Would!’ the Truth Social entry shared by the president said.

His threats prompted outrage from Democrats and action from authorities charged with protecting lawmakers. 

Slotkin said Thursday night that the Capitol Police is putting her on an around the clock security protocol.

‘Capitol Police came to us and said, “We’re gonna put you on 24/7 security.” We’ve got law enforcement out in front of my house. I mean, it changes things immediately,’ she told MSNBC.

‘If the president is saying you should be hanged, then we shouldn’t be surprised when folks on the ground are going to follow suit and say even worse.’ 

The other Democrats called out the president for endangering their lives. 

‘Donald Trump is calling for my death and others, and every political leader should condemn the President’s violent threats,’ Deluzio posted on X. 

Crow posted on social media voicemails he received as a result of the president’s remarks. 

Representatives Chris DeLuzio (pictured left) of Pennsylvania and Maggie Goodlander (pictured right) of New Hampshire also stood behind the video

Just months ago Trump called on Americans to tone down the radical political rhetoric following the assassination of conservative Charlie Kirk

‘I hope you all get f***ing throat slashed,’ one caller said.  

Trump’s veiled threat comes as political rhetoric and violence have reached a fever pitch. 

This year there have been a slew of political attacks from the assassination of conservative Turning Point USA leader Charlie Kirk to the murders of Minnesota Democrat Melissa Hortman and her husband.

Following the assassination of Kirk, Trump and Vice President JD Vance urged the nation to tone down the inflammatory rhetoric that is so commonplace in US politics today. 

‘For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now,’ Trump said in September. 

The president pointed the finger at the Democrats in his Friday morning interview, noting how they were ‘bad people.’ He also insisted he did not incite any violence or threats against them. 

‘These are people that, in my opinion, broke the law. Now what happens to them? I can’t tell you. But they broke the law,’ the president said. 

Republican Speaker Mike Johnson also suggested that the Democrats may have broken the law with their demands that troops disobey orders. 

‘I know the [Department of Justice] and the Pentagon are looking into the legality of all of that,’ Johnson told CNN on Thursday. ‘But what I can address is what everybody knows, that was wildly inappropriate. It is very dangerous. ‘You have leading members of Congress telling troops to disobey orders. I think that’s unprecedented in American history.’