Texas Republican Rep. Mike McCaul publicly urged President Donald Trump to soften his rhetoric against Democratic lawmakers on Sunday, marking a rare instance of a GOP member openly challenging the president’s aggressive language targeting political opponents.
During an appearance on ABC’s This Week on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, McCaul addressed Trump’s recent accusations that six Democratic lawmakers engaged in what he called seditious behavior. The controversy stems from a video the Democrats released encouraging military members to refuse illegal orders.
“I would tone down the rhetoric and tone down the theme here,” McCaul told host Martha Raddatz. “I would emphasize more what I discussed, and that is, these orders are not illegal.”
The six Democratic lawmakers who appeared in the video all have military or national security backgrounds. Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona joined Reps. Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, and Jason Crow of Colorado in the message to service members.
Trump accused the Democrats of seditious behavior and suggested the punishment could be death, comments that drew bipartisan criticism. Several of the lawmakers reported receiving threats after the video’s release and subsequently increased their security measures.
When pressed by Raddatz about Trump’s rhetoric regarding potential hangings of members of Congress, McCaul distanced himself from those statements. He acknowledged he does not speak for the president on such matters, though he maintained that the orders Trump has issued are legal.
According to McCaul, the president’s orders are based on Article 2 self-defense provisions of the Constitution and aim to stop the threat of drugs coming into the country and killing Americans. The Texas congressman argued that military personnel have no illegal orders to refuse.
Sen. Slotkin offered a starkly different perspective during her own appearance on the same program. She characterized Trump’s attacks as a tool of fear designed to silence critics and suggested the president was trying to distract from other stories.
“He’s trying to get us to shut up because he doesn’t want to be talking about this,” Slotkin said. The Michigan senator explained that the lawmakers created the video after military officers approached them directly with concerns about the legality of certain orders. When asked directly whether she believed Trump had issued any illegal orders, Slotkin said she was not aware of anything illegal but noted there were some legal gymnastics occurring with Caribbean strikes.
Vice President JD Vance weighed in on the controversy through social media, responding to Slotkin’s comments. The debate touches on fundamental questions about military chain of command and constitutional authority, particularly regarding service members’ obligations under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
The controversy unfolded amid broader tensions over immigration enforcement and military deployment. On Monday, July 7, 2025, a shooting occurred at a Border Patrol building in McAllen, Texas. Federal officers shot and killed 27-year-old Ryan Louis Mosqueda after he reportedly opened fire at the facility.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt used that incident to call on Democrats to tone down their rhetoric against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents. She specifically referenced comments by Rep. Pramila Jayapal and encouraged Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other Democrats to meet with Border Patrol personnel.
The White House has denied that Trump was threatening death upon the lawmakers, though the president’s attacks have continued. Trump again referred to them as traitors and asserted they should be in jail rather than defending themselves to the media.
McCaul’s public comments represent a notable moment of Republican pushback against Trump’s inflammatory language. While many GOP members have remained silent or defended the president’s actions, the Texas congressman’s appearance on national television to urge restraint signals concern within some Republican circles about the escalating rhetoric.
The debate over military orders and constitutional authority continues to divide lawmakers along partisan lines, with Democrats maintaining that service members have both the right and obligation to refuse unlawful commands, while Republican allies of the president insist his directives fall within legal boundaries. The six Democrats in the video have stood by their message despite the backlash and security concerns that followed.
