Sen. Mark Kelly invokes Kirk murder in pushback against Trump 'sedition' cries

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Nov 21, 2025

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Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, pushed back Friday against President Donald Trump’s call for the arrest and potential “execution” of him and five other Democratic lawmakers over their call for military service members to defy illegal orders.

Invoking the recent murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Kelly called out Trump for threatening the Democrats, saying it exposes the military veterans to potential violence from his legion of loyal supporters.

“It was just two months ago that Charlie Kirk was assassinated and now… Trump’s instinct is to call for our execution,” Kelly, a former astronaut and Navy pilot, said on MSNOW.

Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-New Hampshire, said Trump’s should avoid pouring fuel on the fire of political violence that has impacted both sides of the political spectrum.

“It’s very telling that the president has become so unglued,” Goodlander, a Navy veteran, told CNN. “It’s a disturbing trend of political violence that should be condemned by all Americans.”

Still, Goodlander insisted she. has no plans to back down: “Fear is contagious, but courage is too.”

Trump denied calling for the Democratic lawmakers to be put to death and said he was simply pointing out that treason is a crime that potentially carries the death penalty.

“I”m not threatening them but I think they are in serious trouble,” he said on a Fox News radio interview. “In the old days, there was death.”

Republicans have sought to shrug off the dispute, saying both the Democrats and Trump could have chosen their words much more carefully.

The controversy erupted Tuesday when Kelly, Goodlander and the other Democrats posted a video clip entitled “Don’t give up the ship” that reminded service members that they should not obey illegal orders from anyone.

They didn’t cite any particular orders they believe could be illegal.

Trump’s efforts to deploy American troops on the streets of cities to quell protests and assist his mass deportation push have drawn several lawsuits. Some analysts also question the legality of his deadly campaign to target alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea.

On Thursday, Trump responded by posting more than a dozen times accusing the lawmakers of “sedition” and “treason” and calliing them “traitors.”