Trump calls for execution of Democrats — echoing aide’s testimony about Jan. 6
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Trump posted calls to hang six Democrats, prompting Capitol security increases
- House leaders boosted security and lawmakers condemned threats and rhetoric.
Good morning! It’s Danielle Battaglia here with your latest edition of Under the Dome focused on the Trump administration.
I sat behind Cassidy Hutchinson, top aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows of North Carolina, when she testified about President Donald Trump’s reaction to rioters at the U.S. Capitol chanting ‘hang’ Vice President Mike Pence.
I still recall vividly her testimony, as she explained overhearing White House Counsel Pat Cipollone talking with Meadows about a conversation they just had with the president.
“I remember Pat saying something to the effect of, ‘Mark, we need to do something more. They’re literally calling for the vice president to be effing hung,’” she testified. “And Mark had responded something to the effect of, ‘You heard him, Pat. He thinks Mike deserves it. He doesn’t think they’re doing anything wrong.’”
So when I read this week Trump’s Truth Social posts calling for six Democrats to be executed, maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised.
Let’s start at the beginning.
Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin and Reps. Chris Deluzio, Chrissy Houlahan, Maggie Goodlander and Jason Crow posted a video reminding service members that they do not have to follow “illegal orders.”
Here’s a snippet of what they said: “Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this Constitution. Right now, the threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad but from right here at home. Our laws are clear: You can refuse illegal orders.”
They were pushing back against the deployment of the National Guard in cities across the United States.
Trump was not happy.
At first, he posted on Truth Social that this was “seditious behavior” and to “lock them up?”
He then posted that it was “seditious behavior punishable by death.”
Then he reposted someone else who wrote, “Hang them. George Washington would.”
Leadership immediately added security for the six Democrats following Trump’s statements.
Huffington Post’s Igor Bobic caught Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from Huntersville, in the Capitol and asked him about Trump’s posts, which Tillis called, “a little strong.”
“Words carry a lot of weight,” Tillis said. “Kids are watching and the president of the United States should always be thinking less about the adults you’re reacting to, to probably what was objectionable behavior by the Democrats, and the kids that are watching, too.”
Tillis faced a series of death threats earlier this year, that his office released, which extended to his staff and his family, including his grandchildren.
Retired Army Maj. Richard Ojeda, a Democrat who is running for Congress to represent Fort Bragg and the surrounding area, put out his own statement on Trump’s comments.
“As a soldier, it is your duty to follow lawful orders from superior officers,” Ojeda wrote. “It is also your duty to refuse illegal orders. That is the core of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. For a president to call for the death of our elected officials under this political climate is either alarmingly incompetent or pure evil. It’s one of the most terrible things I have ever heard from an American President.”
Ojeda is taking on Rep. Richard Hudson, a Republican living in Southern Pines, in the 2026 election. Hudson is the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Time for the annual turkey pardon
On a more positive note, Rep. Brad Knott posted on social media that the two turkeys Trump plans to pardon Tuesday at the White House are from North Carolina.
If you listened to our last Under the Dome podcast, you know Dawn and I were hoping for this We love a good North Carolina holiday moment.
Curl up with a warm drink and a blanket, turn on C-SPAN and watch some wholesome turkey pardoning! Happy Thanksgiving!
What else we worked on:
- NC’s Tim Moore missed disclosure deadline, traded Intel stock before Trump deal
- Do insider trading laws do enough to prevent NC lawmakers from losing public trust?
- What stocks are NC’s members of Congress buying and selling? See their trades
- Alamance County jail ends agreement to house ICE detainees, NC sheriff says
- Should the Trump administration take ownership in this young NC magnet startup?
- NC Supreme Court justices spar online over Border Patrol operations
- Judges uphold NC districts used in 2024 election, but wait to rule on new map
- NC rare earth magnet maker picks Johnston County for $918 million, 1,000-job plant
- Congress votes to release Epstein files. Where did North Carolina lawmakers stand?
- What’s supposed to happen when someone is arrested by ICE or Border Patrol?
- First lady Melania Trump thanks Marines, military at Camp Lejeune, New River
- Federal judges appear skeptical of challenge to NC’s new congressional map
- Thom Tillis wants answers from Homeland Security on Operation Charlotte’s Web
- Why House Speaker Destin Hall wants the Border Patrol to come back to NC
That’s if for now. Be kind to each other.
If you have any feedback or tips for this edition of the newsletter, feel free to reach out to me directly at dbattaglia@mcclatchydc.com.
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This story was originally published November 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Trump calls for execution of Democrats — echoing aide’s testimony about Jan. 6."
