Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is expressing concern about President Donald Trump’s mental health after a week that began with a short video from six Democratic lawmakers and ended with the president threatening the death penalty for them on social media.
The lawmakers who are military veterans released a one-minute message reminding U.S. troops and intelligence officers of something that has been part of their training: to refuse unlawful orders and uphold the Constitution. The group included Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Sen. Mark Kelly, and Representatives Chrissy Houlahan, Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, and Chris Deluzio. They stated to the military, “You must refuse illegal orders.”
On Truth Social, Trump accused the group of “seditious behavior” and promoted posts insisting such behavior was “punishable by DEATH.” The escalation in threats startled lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and fueled a surge of threats aimed at the Democrats, including reported bomb threats made against Mr. Deluzio’s offices and Ms. Slotkin’s home. The threats were referred to law enforcement, but that didn’t get the president to soften his tone.
Ocasio-Cortez spoke to reporters on Friday about Trump’s words. She said the president’s statements were not only inflammatory but troubling in ways that went beyond politics. His language, she said the following: “It’s not just shocking. It’s not just offensive. It’s bizarre. It is erratic. It’s volatile, and I think it indicates a mental state that we should all be questioning right now.”
AOC: The president’s remarks indicate a level of instability.
It’s not just shocking, it’s not just offensive, it’s bizarre, it is erratic, it’s volatile.
I think it indicates a mental state that we should all be questioning right now. pic.twitter.com/Fd9bnUSqYc
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 23, 2025
Her warning seemed to capture a growing unease among Democrats who worry that the president’s responses are becoming more extreme, especially when aimed at lawmakers fulfilling routine oversight roles.
The reaction was not limited to Democrats as Senator Kelly, a former Navy captain and astronaut who appeared in the video, said the president had effectively suggested that “loyalty to the Constitution” was now a capital offense. Mr. Kelly said he would not be intimidated and would continue to speak publicly about military ethics and legal obligations. Military law experts have said the Democrats’ message was accurate, noting that service members have an obligation to reject unlawful orders, a standard rooted in the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Senator Rand Paul and Representative Mike McCaul publicly called on the president threats to Democrats. They described his comments about the death penalty as dangerous and unnecessary, considring all the political violence that has occured recently.
Still, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez focused less on the internal political dynamics and more on the behavior itself. She noted that the president’s posts had once again led to real threats against public officials and warned that the pattern was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Her issue was not just about his outburst but about the possibility that these episodes could become more frequent and more severe.
The president’s posts remain up and he has since doubled down with more incendiary posts aimed at the Democrats. Lawmakers from both parties are once again left to grapple with the political and personal fallout of the president’s online behavior, even as questions about his judgment continue to widen.
