When the President Threatens His Opponents
The President has issued death threats against Members of Congress
Today the House Democratic leadership released something we never see in American politics:
a unified warning that the sitting President has issued death threats against Members of Congress.
Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark, and Pete Aguilar didn’t mince words. They described Donald Trump’s statements as:
“dangerous”
“disgusting”
“death threats”
a continuation of the same rhetoric that fueled January 6
And they alerted the House Sergeant at Arms and the Capitol Police because they believe someone may actually get killed.
This is not normal political conflict.
This is not partisanship.
This is the moment a democracy begins to fear its own executive.
The pattern is impossible to ignore:
Dozens killed in maritime strikes with no legal basis
Multiple deaths inside ICE custody with no transparency
Disabled people and pregnant women ignored or harmed in state systems
A President who publicly attacks judges, journalists, immigrants, and now Members of Congress
Threats like this are not isolated outbursts.
They serve a purpose: intimidate oversight, silence dissent, and normalise political violence as a governing tool.
Every authoritarian slide begins this way.
With fear. With warnings. With one branch warning the country that another is becoming dangerous.
The leadership statement is a line in the sand.
This is Stage 8 + 10, persecution and denial. A precursor to violence against political opponents of the government.
Whether anyone else joins them is the next test.