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What exact wording did Trump use when he suggested executing members of Congress and when did he say it?
Executive summary
President Trump posted on Truth Social and reposted comments on November 20, 2025, saying the Democratic lawmakers’ video urging service members to refuse unlawful orders was “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” and reposting material that included calls to “HANG THEM,” which prompted widespread condemnation and a White House clarification that he “does not want to execute members of Congress” [1] [2]. Reporting and statements from Democrats, Republicans, and fact-checkers document the exact quoted phrase and the timing (Nov. 20, 2025) while also recording the administration’s attempt to walk back an intent to carry out executions [3] [4].
1. What Trump wrote, verbatim and in context
The clearest verbatim quote shown in reporting and archived social posts is Trump’s Truth Social post stating “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” — a comment attached to or reposting an article about six Democratic lawmakers who urged members of the military to refuse unlawful orders [1] [4]. Media reports note he also reposted user comments including a call to “HANG THEM,” so the public record includes both the explicit “punishable by DEATH” phrasing and reposted material advocating hanging [1] [5].
2. When he said it and why that matters
Multiple outlets place these posts on November 20, 2025, tying them to a video by six Democrats with military or intelligence backgrounds that reminded service members of their duty to disobey illegal orders; Trump’s posts were framed as a direct response to that video [6] [4]. The date matters because congressional leaders, security officials and the White House responded the same day with urgent condemnations and clarifications, reflecting how quickly social-media remarks from the president escalated into institutional reactions [5] [2].
3. How officials and lawmakers described the language
Democrats in Congress — including leaders and the targeted members — described Trump’s posts as death threats and called them dangerous and inciting; Rep. Jamie Raskin and others issued rebukes saying Trump “called for the execution” of the lawmakers and reposted calls to “HANG THEM” [7] [8]. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warned that invoking execution language could incite violence, while House and Senate Democrats demanded protective measures [5] [9].
4. The White House response and competing framing
The White House, through Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and subsequent statements, said the president “does not want to execute members of Congress” and framed his remarks as urging those lawmakers be “held accountable” rather than literally executed [2] [10]. Reuters and other outlets recorded that clarification, and some aggregators/updates emphasized the administration’s denial of intent even as they reported the original wording [6] [11].
5. Independent verification and fact‑checking
Fact-checkers and outlets like Snopes and major news organizations documented the Truth Social post and concluded Trump did write “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” while noting the post did not always name specific members in the single quoted line but was tied to his earlier posts about the six Democrats [4] [3]. Snopes also notes Trump reposted other users’ calls for hanging, creating a composite record of his posts and reposts [4].
6. Why exact wording matters legally and politically
Legal and political analysts point out that the precise phrasing — using the word “punishable by DEATH” and reposting “HANG THEM” — is significant because it can be read as endorsing extrajudicial violence or as rhetoric about legal penalties; that ambiguity fueled immediate accusations that the president’s language could incite violence and prompted demands for protective actions for the lawmakers [1] [5]. The White House’s denial that Trump wanted executions introduces an alternate interpretation, but it does not erase the text of the posts that circulated publicly [2].
7. Limitations of available reporting
Available sources document the quoted Truth Social line and the reposted “HANG THEM” material and place the posts on Nov. 20, 2025, but do not provide, in these excerpts, a full chronological archive of every post and repost or a complete transcript showing each minute-by-minute iteration from Trump’s account; for those details, primary archived social-media records and platform timestamps would be required [1] [4]. Sources also differ on emphasis: some focus on the exact words he used, others on the political fallout and the White House clarification [6] [2].
Bottom line: multiple outlets and fact‑checkers record that on November 20, 2025 President Trump wrote “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” in posts responding to a video by six Democratic lawmakers and reposted comments including “HANG THEM,” and the White House later said he did not intend to order executions [1] [2] [4].