President Donald Trump stated on Friday that he was not calling for the death penalty for Democrats in response to a video posted by Democratic lawmakers the previous day urging soldiers to disobey unlawful orders, which he described as "inciting actions that could lead to treason."

However, he pointed out in a radio show interview that "in the old days, that kind of talk would have gotten you killed."

When host Brian Kilmeade directly asked Trump if he was threatening the lawmakers, he responded, "They are in serious trouble."

"I'm not threatening death, but I think they are in serious trouble," Trump said.

"In the old days, it was death. That was inciting action."

The lawmakers featured in the video – Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), and Reps. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) – have not yet responded to Trump's denial.

However, several of them have reported an increase in threats after Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday accusing them of treason.

Many of these lawmakers are veterans, and in Slotkin's case, a former CIA intelligence officer. In the video, they urged soldiers and intelligence agency members to uphold their oaths amid escalating political pressure.

The video stated, "Our laws are clear. You can disobey unlawful orders."

It continued, emphasizing, "You must disobey unlawful orders. No one has a duty to obey any order that is unlawful or violates the Constitution."

Trump countered on Truth Social, amplifying posts that accused them of "treasonous acts which could lead to death!" and including one that stated, "George Washington would have had them hanged."

Trump pushed back harder on Friday on his claim that the lawmakers had "broken the law."

"If I had said that, I could say hell would open up if a Democratic president had said it. And it really did," he said.

Trump added that he believes Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is "looking into the situation."

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed claims that Trump had called for the death penalty on Thursday.

When asked about his posts, she responded, "No."

However, Leavitt added that the Democrats' remarks were "a very, very dangerous message and could be punishable by law."

"I am not a lawyer. I will leave that up to the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense to decide," she told reporters.

Threats against public officials have increased in recent years, including two assassination attempts against Trump during his last election campaign.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) stated Friday that he does not see former President Trump as responsible for the increase in threats.

"I don't think anything can be laid at the President's feet. ... There's overheated rhetoric on all sides. ... I've called for restraint in the use of inflammatory rhetoric generally," he said.

Rep. Crow, an Army veteran, told reporters on Friday that threats had increased following Trump's posts.

His office has requested that the U.S. Capitol Police investigate Trump's "threatening, intimidating, and alarming" message, noting a "significant increase in phone and email inquiries that contain violent rhetoric and further threats."

"When the President of the United States is out there on Twitter, spewing death threats, that kind of language dials up the temperature significantly. But again, I'm not going to be overly alarmed, and certainly won't change my approach," Crow said.

The debate will likely center on whether it is appropriate for lawmakers who engage in political incitement and attacks to claim they have been threatened by a president who uses legal interpretations.

By Hong Seong-gu, Chief Editor, NNP USA / Special contribution to this publication NNP info@newsandpost.com