Bulwark Takes – “Trump Called for Democrats to Be Executed”

Date: November 20, 2025
Participants: Sam Stein (host), Andrew Egger, Sarah Longwell (briefly), Democratic Congressman Jason Crow

Episode Overview

This episode of Bulwark Takes urgently addresses the alarming development that former President Donald Trump has repeatedly posted online advocating for the execution of Democratic members of Congress, accusing them of sedition and treason. The conversation dissects the content of both the Democratic video that sparked Trump’s rage and the dangerous escalation in rhetoric from the ex-president and his allies. Sam Stein and Andrew Egger break down the context, the stakes, and the wider implications for American democracy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Sparked the Outrage: The Democrats’ Video

• The episode centers on a recent video posted by Democratic lawmakers—many of them veterans or intelligence community alumni—reminding military and intelligence personnel that they are obliged to refuse unlawful or unconstitutional orders from any Commander-in-Chief.
• Sam characterizes the video as “almost anodyne,” essentially a public reaffirmation of military law and oath.
  • Quote: "The Democrats video was totally fine. There's nothing. It's like almost anodyne." – Sam Stein [06:07]

Sample Lines from the Video ([02:01–02:52]):

• “Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders.” – Democratic Lawmaker [02:16]
• “No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.” – Sarah Longwell [02:25]
• “Don’t give up. Don’t give up the ship.” – (Repeated by multiple participants) [02:49–02:53]

2. Trump’s Escalating and Dangerous Response

• Sam Stein summarizes Trump’s repeated social media posts calling for Democratic lawmakers to be “hanged”, “tried and executed”, calling their actions “seditious behavior punishable by death.”
  • Quote: “Hang them. George Washington would. Unlawful is the key word, folks. Unlawful, sedition, insurrection, treason. Get these people out of office… Seditious behavior punishable by death.” – Paraphrased Trump posts [03:06–03:44]
• Andrew Egger emphasizes the shocking nature of Trump’s rhetoric, noting that it simply cannot be normalized.
  • Quote: “He is just incensed… he views the military as his guys… the idea that other electeds are even able to, like, bring things up to these guys… is intolerable to him.” – Andrew Egger [11:26]
• Sam underlines the disconnect between Trump’s outright execution talk and the more “strategic” responses of his allies, like Stephen Miller and Todd Blanche, who focus on calling the video a call to insurrection or rebellion, and demanding resignations rather than executions ([12:10]).

3. How Trump World Is Amplifying the Attack

• The discussion covers the quick pivot by Trump allies in media and legal circles to frame the Democrats’ video as a lawless call for revolt:
  • Stephen Miller on Fox News: Describes the video as “a general call for rebellion” and argues that Democratic lawmakers should “resign in disgrace.”
    • Quote: “…should honestly resign in disgrace and never return to public office again for even daring to think, let alone to say these words…” – Reading Stephen Miller [07:16, 12:10]
  • Todd Blanche on Hannity: Claims the Democrats are encouraging insubordination and violating no actual laws ([07:23]).

4. Democrats Respond: Congressman Jason Crow’s Defense

• Jason Crow, a House Democrat and veteran featured in the video, appears on Fox to defend the message, citing Trump’s past consideration of unlawful actions as precedent:
  • Lafayette Square protest orders: Allegedly asking, “Can’t you just shoot them? Can’t you just shoot them in the legs or something?” ([09:43])
  • Threats to send troops into American cities or polling stations, which is illegal under U.S. law ([10:14]).

5. Deeper Analysis: Why This Approach, Why Now?

• Sam and Andrew discuss whether Trump’s team is amplifying this conflict to distract from less favorable news (e.g., “Epstein files”), and note the classic strategy of fueling division through outrage and culture war topics ([10:55]).
• Andrew points to how Trump’s personal mentality drives him to lash out whenever others address “his” military, reinforcing his worldview that conflates himself with the government.
• Both stress that the actual effect of this strategy may backfire, with Andrew saying,
  • Quote: “They are so fucking high on their own supply that they think this kind of thing is, like, getting the American people jazzed up. Like… he’s heading for a catastrophe in the midterms if this is the issue that he wants to make.” – Andrew Egger [15:25]

6. The Stakes: Rampant Normalization of Political Violence

• Sam Stein contextualizes the current moment against broader concerns about political violence:
  • Quote: “This is coming in a moment where everyone is supposed to be denouncing political violence… and then to turn around and have the President… say we need to kill lawmakers on the other side because of anodyne video…” – Sam Stein [13:13]
  • Both note the numbing effect of such rhetoric—where open calls for extrajudicial punishment of political opponents are just “the new normal.”
  • Quote: “When the President is calling for political opponents to be hanged, that is a problem. And you can't just sort of skirt around it and say, well, we're not going to talk about it because he wants us to talk about it.” – Sam Stein [15:02]

Notable & Memorable Moments

• Trump’s Posts as Escalation:
  “Hang them. George Washington would.” was the literal phrase Trump reposted, pushing the rhetoric from serious to outright incitement ([03:06]).
• Sarah Longwell’s Dismissal of Trump's Order on Lafayette Square:
  “That was not a military order. That was a comment…” – Sarah Longwell [09:53]
• Direct Challenge to “Normalization”:
  “It's dangerous shit. It's really dangerous shit.” – Sam Stein [14:35]
• Meta-Commentary on Media Outrage Cycles:
  “They want us to freak out about their freak out. And I’m a little bit torn about it, but… When the President is calling for political opponents to be hanged, that is a problem.” – Sam Stein [15:02]

Important Timestamps

• [01:00] – Opening of the substantive discussion
• [02:01–02:52] – Snippets from the Democrats’ video
• [03:06–03:44] – Sam Stein reading Trump’s inflammatory posts
• [07:16, 12:10] – Stephen Miller’s Fox News demand for resignations
• [09:43–10:29] – Jason Crow defending the video, detailing Trump’s previous unlawful order threats
• [13:13] – Broader conversation on political violence and normalization
• [15:02–15:46] – Sam & Andrew’s conclusion on the need to call out this rhetoric, not ignore it

Tone & Takeaway

• Urgent, Blunt, and Unflinching: The hosts refuse to minimize Trump’s calls for violence—calling them “outrageous,” “unhinged,” and “dangerous shit.”
• No Both-Sides-ism: The conversation sharply differentiates between the Democratic video (a legalistic, almost ceremonial reminder) and Trump’s apocalyptic, authoritarian response.
• Direct Warnings about Authoritarian Drift: These hosts see Trump’s rhetoric as not only a political strategy but as a genuine indicator of his belief that he is above the law—and a warning sign of potential violence and deeper democratic erosion.

Bottom Line

Bulwark Takes delivers a sharp, clear-eyed assessment: Trump’s open calls for the execution of Democratic lawmakers are both unprecedented and dangerous, and not merely cynical headline-chasing. The hosts urge listeners and the public not to become desensitized to this kind of rhetoric, even as Trump’s team seeks to distract, divide, and escalate. As Sam Stein sums it up: “When the President is calling for political opponents to be hanged, that is a problem.”