Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) is raising eyebrows after speaking out against President Donald Trump’s latest comments about Democrat lawmakers—calling the president’s wording “reckless” and warning that political tensions in America are reaching a breaking point.
The discussion unfolded during Paul’s appearance on CBS’s Face the Nation, where host Margaret Brennan questioned him about a recent video featuring six Democrat lawmakers urging military members to “refuse illegal orders.” President Trump responded sharply, calling the lawmakers “TRAITORS” and suggesting their actions bordered on sedition.
Brennan pressed Paul on whether Trump was following the same standard he expects from others when it comes to calming the national climate.
Paul acknowledged Trump’s well-known blunt style but said the latest remarks went too far.
“Everyone knows President Trump speaks his mind,” Paul said. “But calling political opponents traitors—and tying that to the death penalty—is reckless, inappropriate, and irresponsible. It doesn’t bring the country together. It creates more division at a time when America desperately needs stability.”
Brennan asked whether the U.S. has entered an era where political rhetoric has shifted from merely unfiltered to actively dangerous.
Paul said his own family has lived through the consequences of political hostility.
“I’ve been on the receiving end,” he explained. “My father, who has been retired for years, has even been targeted by swatting. Someone makes a false emergency call, police arrive ready for a life-or-death situation, and the intent is to provoke a tragedy. This is happening to people on both sides of the aisle.”
Paul emphasized that weaponizing words like “treason” and “traitor” against either Republicans or Democrats is irresponsible and only escalates tensions across the nation.
“It’s reckless. It’s inappropriate. It’s irresponsible,” he repeated, stressing that America’s political leaders should be working to reduce fear and chaos—not intensify it.