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Democratic officials demonstrated outrage after the ex-president charged a contingent of Democratic congress members of being "betrayers" and declared they should be taken into custody and punished "by death" following their posting of a controversial video.

The Message That Provoked the Controversy

The recorded message, published on Tuesday, showcases six Democratic lawmakers who in the past served in armed forces or defense roles.

"Similar to us, you all swore an pledge to protect and defend this national charter," the representatives stated in the short video. "At present, the threats to our democratic foundation are not only from overseas, but from domestically. Our laws are explicit, you can refuse improper directives, you can decline improper directives, you should refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out commands that violate the statutes or our constitution."

Trump's Furious Reaction

The clip seemed to prompt a furious reaction from the former president.

On Thursday morning, Trump posted on Truth Social: "It's called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these betrayers to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL."

In an additional post, he declared: "This represents really serious, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be enabled to remain. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???"

In a third publication, he stated: "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, subject to punishment by DEATH!" He also redistributed a declaration that read: "HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!"

Democratic Officials React

Following Trump's remarks on Thursday, Democratic leadership issued a unified declaration censuring the statements.

"Partisan aggression has no position in the United States," they wrote. "Congress members who participated in the video all served our United States with great loyalty and honor. We strongly denounce Donald Trump's offensive and risky threats of violence against congressional representatives, and call on House Republicans to vigorously do the same."

The opposition officials also mentioned that they had been in touch with security officials "to make certain the security of these officials and their relatives."

"Donald Trump must without delay remove these radical digital publications and withdraw his aggressive language before he causes harm," the declaration continued.

Representatives' Strong Answer

The representatives who were featured in the video also issued a response.

"We serve as former service members and security experts who love this country and took an pledge to safeguard and uphold the national charter of the United States," they said. "That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to honor it. No intimidation, coercion, or incitement will deter us from that sacred obligation."

"The most revealing aspect is that the former president deems it subject to penalty by death for us to restate the law," they stated. "Military personnel should know that we have their backs as they fulfill their oath to the founding principles and obligation to obey only proper directives. It is not only the proper thing to do, but also our obligation."

They stated: "All citizens must unite and denounce the president's calls for our death and partisan aggression. This is a period for principled stance."

Additional Political Responses

The Democratic Senate minority leader also censured Trump's comments and published on digital platforms: "Let's be crystal clear: the ex-commander in chief is demanding the capital punishment of elected officials."

He added: "This represents an direct THREAT. Each congressional member, all representatives, every American – regardless of party – should condemn this right away and without qualification."

The Conservative official defended Trump's allegation that the Democrats had participated in "treason", labeling the video as "wildly inappropriate", commenting: "This represents very dangerous, you have leading members of the legislature instructing military personnel to disobey orders, I think that represents unprecedented in US history."

The GOP official also according to sources stated to media outlets that in what he reviewed of Trump's posts, Trump was "describing the offense of sedition" but that "attorneys have to analyze the language and decide all that."

White House Statement

During a White House press conference on that day, when questioned by a media member, "Is the president want to kill members of Congress?", the executive branch representative answered: "Absolutely not."

"It's important to note about what the former president is addressing," the official stated. "We see sitting members of the US Congress who worked together to orchestrate a video message to personnel of the national defense, to active duty service members urging them to defy the president's lawful orders."

She stated: "The purity of our military relies on the hierarchy, and if that system is broken, it can result in people getting killed, it can lead to chaos, and that is exactly what these elected officials ... are essentially encouraging."