Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania accused President Donald Trump of “dangerous rhetoric” after the commander in chief slammed Democratic lawmakers who appeared in a video urging military and intelligence community members to refuse unlawful orders.

“SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” Trump declared in a Truth Social post on Thursday. In another post earlier on Thursday, Trump had asserted, “This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???” 

Fetterman, who was not one of the six lawmakers in the controversial video, responded by condemning the president’s rhetoric.

SEN. FETTERMAN SHARES GRAPHIC PHOTO AFTER HEART RHYTHM SCARE, SAYS DOCTORS ‘PUT ME BACK TOGETHER’

In a post on X, the senator declared, “I strongly reject this dangerous rhetoric. Do not threaten Members of Congress. Republican or Democrat. It’s deeply wrong with no exceptions—ever.”

Speaking about the video during a Friday interview on the “Brian Kilmeade Show,” Trump said that he did not “know about the modern day … but in the old days” such comments would have been “punishable by death.”

Trump said he was “not threatening” the lawmakers, but believes “they’re in serious trouble.” He said that they “essentially” told the military not to follow the president’s orders, and noted that in his view the lawmakers had violated the law.

The six Democratic lawmakers who appeared in the video that sparked Trump’s ire included: Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Rep. Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, Rep. Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado.

DEPUTY AG BLASTS DEMOCRATS’ ‘ABHORRENT’ VIDEO URGING TROOPS TO ‘REFUSE ILLEGAL ORDERS’

In the video, the lawmakers accused the Trump administration of pitting the nation’s uniformed military and intelligence community members against U.S. citizens — and they encouraged refusal of “illegal orders.”

The six Democrats clapped back in a statement on Thursday after Trump slammed them on Truth Social.

TRUMP DEFENDS ‘PUNISHABLE BY DEATH’ COMMENT, CALLS DEMOCRATS’ MILITARY VIDEO ‘SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR’

“What’s most telling is that the President considers it punishable by death for us to restate the law. Our servicemembers should know that we have their backs as they fulfill their oath to the Constitution and obligation to follow only lawful orders,” they said in part of the statement. “Every American must unite and condemn the President’s calls for our murder and political violence.”

President Trump’s tight grip on the GOP, long assumed to be an inevitable feature of American life (like gravity or the McRib’s seasonal return), has started to loosen.

Republicans are now openly defying him. The man who once ruled the GOP like a casino boss can’t even strong-arm Indiana Republicans into gerrymandering themselves properly.

This sort of resistance didn’t emerge overnight. It fermented like prison wine or bad ideas in a faculty lounge. First came the Iran bombing: an early shock that suggested “America First” might also mean “Israel First,” at least to the populist-nationalist camp inside the GOP.

Then came the effort to muffle the Jeffrey Epstein files, a notion so foreign to MAGA’s ethos that the subsequent drama, according to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), “ripped MAGA apart.”

Greene also expressed concern that the Affordable Care Act’s subsidies are set to lapse, and that Republicans have no plan to fix the imminent premium spikes — an occurrence that threatens to alienate the very working-class voters that MAGA now insists it represents.

All the while, another MAGA soap opera was churning. Tucker Carlson decided to “platform” white nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, leading to an outcry of criticism that prompted the Heritage Foundation’s president to defend them (sparking another Republican “civil war” subplot).

The common thread in these stories is the sense that Trump’s days are numbered. The question of “Who gets MAGA when Dad can no longer operate the remote?” has become unavoidable.

True, pundits have been prematurely writing Trump’s political obituary since he first came down that escalator. But it feels different this time. The question is why.

There are likely numerous reasons, but I’ve zeroed in on the five that I think are the most important.

The first, and most obvious, reason is that Trump is now a lame duck, and everyone knows it.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) made the logic explicit when, during the Epstein-file fight, he warned his colleagues: “Donald Trump can protect you in red districts right now … but by 2030, he’s not going to be president, and you will have voted to protect pedophiles if you don’t vote to release those files.”

Once politicians and influencers start imagining their post-Trump resumes, his spell over them shatters. This probably explains why Trump has dangled the idea of an unconstitutional third term.

The second reason we are seeing Trump’s grip weaken is that, frankly, Trump’s not popular. In fact, according to a new Reuters poll, his approval rating is just 38%.

This rating plummets when it comes to the issues that divide Republicans. For example, according to that same survey, a mere 20% of American adults — including just 44% of Republicans — approve of Trump’s handling of the Epstein files.

The third reason is that Trump is increasingly isolated from the constituency that once fine-tuned his political instincts.

The Trump of 2016-2020 essentially crowdsourced his political instincts at rallies, where he learned to read the room like a comedian. Now he’s physically isolated and increasingly out of touch with his base. His inner circle consists of ideologues and billionaires — people who don’t worry about the price of milk.

So when Trump insists the economy is thriving, as he hosts Gatsby-themed soirees and tears down the East Wing of the White House to build a new ballroom, populists look up from their grocery bills, spy Trump on TV meeting with the Saudi crown prince, and are suddenly flooded with buyer’s remorse. This creates an opening, and the movement’s would-be heirs can sense it.

Of course, Trump could conceivably adjust his policies and rhetoric in an effort to restore his populist appeal.

But the fourth reason for Trump’s loss of power within the GOP concerns his mortality: Trump is the oldest person to win the presidency in U.S. history. He has had two “annual” physicals this calendar year — including an MRI no one will adequately explain (this is not part of a routine physical).

This brings us to the fifth and final reason the cracks are starting to show: Trump’s 2024 coalition was always like a game of Jenga.

It was a convenient alliance of disparate factions and individuals whose interests converged because Trump’s charisma (and lack of a coherent political worldview) was like the glue holding incompatible pieces together. But as that binding force weakens, the contradictions become clear, and open warfare is inevitable.

For years now, Trump imposed peace the way an aging rock frontman keeps peace within a band. But once that star starts forgetting lyrics or showing up late, his bandmates start imagining solo careers.

We’re watching MAGA realize that the Trump era is ending, and that the next battle is about what — or who — will fill the vacuum when he’s gone.

Matt K. Lewis is the author of “Filthy Rich Politicians” and “Too Dumb to Fail.”