White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt ended a press briefing early after reporters pushed for answers about Trump’s alleged threats to Democratic lawmakers.
In a video posted to social media, multiple Democratic politicians urged members of the military to resist unlawful orders instead of honoring their oath to the Constitution. Trump responded quickly by calling the acts “seditious behavior” that is “punishable by death.
CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Nancy Cordes questioned the sharp and dangerous rhetoric during the press briefing.
“This morning, President Trump accused six Democratic lawmakers of ‘seditious behavior’ punishable by ‘death.’ Just to be clear, does the president want to execute members of Congress?”
As Leavitt is known to do, she redirected the conversation to the Democrats who spoke up in the video. She misquoted and recharacterized the video’s words, claiming the lawmakers urged military members to ignore orders from the commander-in-chief.
“Why aren’t you talking about what these members of Congress are doing to encourage and incite violence?”
Reporters did not yield in their inquiries.
One reporter continued the line of questioning, “Isn’t the president encouraging political violence when he says members of Congress should be killed?”
Refusing to answer the continued barrage of questions and unable to distract from the facts, Leavitt left the podium.
The video in question featured veterans and former intelligence officers who currently hold office: Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Mark Kelly, and Congress members Chris Deluzio, Chrissy Houlahan, Maggie Goodlander, and Jason Crow.
Trump has demanded the arrest and trial of six Democratic members of Congress over a viral video urging troops to refuse illegal orders, calling their actions seditious and punishable by death on Truth Social. pic.twitter.com/FvDNjk1ei3
— Ground News (@Ground_app) November 20, 2025
Reporters at the latest briefing noted a change in tone, describing it as the first time Leavitt ended a session mid-question, though it is not the first time the press secretary cut a briefing short. White House aides did not explain afterward. The moment captures growing tension in the briefing room as the White House faces scrutiny over inconsistent claims on immigration enforcement, foreign policy, and federal funding.
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