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Lawmakers from the Democratic party demonstrated outrage after the ex-president alleged a group of Democratic legislators of being "betrayers" and declared they should be arrested and punished "by death" following their release of a contentious video.

The Message That Sparked the Controversy

The recorded message, shared on Tuesday, includes six Democratic lawmakers who formerly served in defense or defense positions.

"Like us, you all made an vow to defend and support this national charter," the representatives affirmed in the 90-second video. "At present, the threats to our democratic foundation aren't just from overseas, but from domestically. Our statutes are clear, you can refuse improper directives, you can refuse unlawful commands, you should reject unlawful commands. No one has to follow orders that contravene the law or our national charter."

Trump's Incensed Reaction

The recorded statement seemed to provoke a heated reaction from the previous commander-in-chief.

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

In a separate publication, he stated: "This is really bad, and Risky to our Country. Their comments cannot be enabled to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???"

In a subsequent publication, he continued: "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!" He also shared a declaration that stated: "HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!"

Democratic Representatives Answer

Following Trump's statements on Thursday, Top Democrats published a combined statement censuring the comments.

"Partisan aggression has no position in this nation," they declared. "Representatives who participated in the video all acted our country with tremendous loyalty and excellence. We strongly condemn Donald Trump's disgusting and risky death threats against members of Congress, and urge Republican lawmakers to forcefully do the same."

The Democratic leaders also mentioned that they had been in contact with protective services "to guarantee the security of these members and their loved ones."

"Donald Trump must without delay remove these extreme digital publications and withdraw his aggressive discourse before he causes harm," the announcement stated.

Representatives' Strong Reaction

The lawmakers who were featured in the video also released a statement.

"We are ex-military personnel and national security professionals who love this nation and took an vow to protect and defend the constitution of the United States," they said. "Our pledge lasts a lifetime, and we plan to honor it. No warning, pressure, or incitement will stop us from that sacred obligation."

"The significant point is that the ex-president considers it punishable by death for us to repeat the statutes," they stated. "Military personnel should understand that we have their protection as they fulfill their pledge to the founding principles and obligation to follow only proper directives. It is not only the correct thing to do, but also our responsibility."

They added: "All citizens must come together and denounce the president's demands for our execution and ideological conflict. This is a period for principled stance."

Further Partisan Comments

The Senate Democratic leader also condemned Trump's statements and published on online networks: "It's important to understand: the ex-commander in chief is calling for the death of public representatives."

He added: "This represents an clear THREAT. All senators, all representatives, all citizens – without partisan consideration – should condemn this immediately and without qualification."

The Republican House speaker defended Trump's allegation that the Democrats had engaged in "treason", characterizing the video as "highly unsuitable", adding: "This constitutes very risky, you have prominent officials of the government advising troops to ignore directives, I think that represents without precedent in the nation's past."

The GOP official also reportedly informed media outlets that in what he reviewed of Trump's publications, Trump was "explaining the offense of rebellion" but that "lawyers have to examine the language and determine all that."

White House Reaction

During a administration briefing on Thursday afternoon, when questioned by a journalist, "Would the president want to kill members of Congress?", the executive branch representative replied: "No."

"We should understand about what the president is addressing," the spokesperson said. "We see sitting members of the US Congress who conspired to orchestrate a digital communication to members of the national defense, to active duty service members encouraging them to defy the president's legal commands."

She said: "The purity of our military depends on the command structure, and if that system is compromised, it can lead to people getting killed, it can lead to disorder, and that is exactly what these elected officials ... are fundamentally encouraging."