Donald Trump is going to war with Democrats over the military. It could backfire on him.
The president’s attacks on six Democrats who recorded a video encouraging military members to buck unlawful orders are elevating members of a faction that just delivered big off-year wins for their party. Most hail from swing states or districts, identify as centrists and are leveraging their national security backgrounds to argue that Democrats can retake the patriotic lane.
Trump is also boosting some potential 2028 presidential hopefuls, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, while further undercutting the GOP’s attempts to make New York progressives like Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez the face of the Democratic Party.
“Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump are providing Mark Kelly with the kind of visibility that almost no amount of money could buy,” said Barrett Marson, an Arizona-based Republican strategist, referring to the Defense secretary who ordered an investigation of Kelly. “Every 2028 contender wishes they could be attacked like this by the Trump administration.”
Since Trump accused the six of “sedition” and even suggested they could be executed, they’ve racked up millions of views on social media, done the cable news circuit and blasted out fundraising appeals highlighting the attacks.
It’s heightened the stature of even those who have already been the subject of speculation about their 2028 aspirations. Kelly, who was on the short list to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate last year, has already visited a raft of early primary and general-election battleground states this year. But only after Trump’s attack was he invited on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” this week.
In recent months, Slotkin has been testing what she calls a “war plan” to “contain and defeat Donald Trump” in speeches outside of her state, meeting with low-propensity voters and theorizing about what she calls “Project 2029.” Now she’s brought those themes to a series of interviews and public appearances over the past week.
As Democrats debate how far to lean into themes of patriotism more often claimed by conservatives, a group of lawmakers organized by Slotkin released a video with anti-authoritarian themes ahead of the “No Kings” protests last month. A follow-up video last week called on troops not to obey unlawful orders, prompting Trump’s explosion.
The president posted on social media they were committing “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL” by suggesting military members ignore their chain of command and shared a post calling for traitors to be hanged. The White House later denied Trump was threatening the lawmakers with death. Since then, the Pentagon has opened an investigation into Kelly, who is a retired Navy captain, and the six lawmakers claim the FBI has made inquiries through congressional authorities.
Democrats, particularly those with military backgrounds, have leapt to their colleagues’ defense, echoing their message about following the law and accusing Trump of weaponizing the government against his political opponents.
“Trump knows that we’re a threat” to Republicans’ grip on Washington, said Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), a military veteran whose Serve America PAC supports several of the Democrats in the video. “These are great leaders who can take the fight to Trump and MAGA.”
“It’s classic Trump — he ratchets everything up to an 11 and it blows up in his face,” said Austin Cook, a Democratic strategist and former Slotkin spokesperson. “Not only did it reinforce everything swing voters have always hated about him, but it’s also given this group the biggest megaphone they’ve ever had.”
But Tim Edson, a GOP strategist and former political director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said the video will only confirm the GOP base’s preconceived, negative views of Democratic officials.
“Republicans believe these Democrats are deranged with hatred of Trump, and it’s just their latest attempt to undermine lawful policies simply because they’re Trump’s policies,” Edson said. “These embarrassing antics only rally Republicans to the president.”
Some Democrats think it’s too early to tell how things will shake out for the “seditious six,” as some Trump officials are calling the lawmakers.
“Whether it works or not will depend on what comes next, if an illegal order actually does come down they get to be leaders saying ‘I told you so,’” texted one strategist who has consulted for Democratic veterans and was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “If one doesn’t, they’ve simply made themselves victims to Trump’s latest attacks. Most Democrats fail at playing on his turf.”
Kelly doubled down on the video’s message during his talk-show appearance Tuesday night and noted some of his Republican colleagues are expressing support: “People are starting to take a look at this and saying, ‘Wow, this is just nuts that he’s going after U.S. senators and members of the House for something they said.’”
