A viral video released by six Democratic lawmakers urged members of the U.S. military and intelligence community to “refuse illegal orders,” a move that immediately set off alarms across the country about the safety of the chain of command. The minute-long clip, fittingly titled “Don’t Give Up the Ship,” leaned heavily on the lawmakers’ service credentials while offering no concrete examples of what they consider unlawful orders.
The participants in the video include Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Mark Kelly and Reps. Jason Crow, Chrissy Houlahan, Chris Deluzio, and Maggie Goodlander — all of whom have military or intelligence backgrounds they wield like credentials to legitimize what is plainly political theater. Americans ought to respect veterans, but that respect is being exploited when elected officials use their service to encourage rank-and-file troops to second-guess lawful civilian leadership.
President Trump fired back on social media, calling the video “seditious behavior” and condemning the lawmakers in stark terms, saying their message could not be allowed to stand. The president’s blunt language reflected genuine outrage from voters who see this as a direct attack on order, discipline, and the apolitical professionalism that keeps our armed forces effective.
Retired Marine and Fox co-host Joey Jones ripped into the Democrats’ stunt on air, saying their call for defiance “doesn’t surprise” him and that it lights a dangerous fuse inside an institution that depends on obedience and cohesion. Jones — a veteran who knows the cost of breaking ranks — warned viewers that turning servicemembers into political actors is precisely how democracies crumble and conflicts begin.
Republican leaders were right to push back hard; House Speaker Mike Johnson and other conservatives called the video wildly inappropriate and potentially unlawful, and some warned it dangerously flirts with incitement. This is not about stifling dissent, it’s about recognizing that the military was created to answer to civilian leaders through an orderly chain of command, not to be a pawn in partisan theater.
Context matters: the Democrats offered no specific illegal order to point to, yet chose this moment to sow doubt among troops as the administration faces legal and operational scrutiny over deployments and counter-narcotics strikes. That ambiguity is not innocent — it’s designed to stir distrust and erode confidence in leadership, and Americans who love the rule of law should be alarmed that our own representatives are egging it on.
Hardworking patriots who serve deserve better than to be used as props in a political stunt. Conservatives must stand firm for the rule of law, for a military that is apolitical and mission-focused, and for leaders who defend the honor of those in uniform rather than encouraging them to pick sides.
