“Don’t give up the ship.” The phrase was made famous by Captain James Lawrence as he lay mortally wounded from the battle between his USS Chesapeake and British frigate HMS Shannon off the coast of Boston during the War of 1812.
Unfortunately for the captain, even though his phrase became legendary within the Navy, his ship was in fact captured by the Brits.
Now, a group of Democrat lawmakers is reviving the exhortation in a minute-and-a-half video that urges military troops and intelligence officials to defy orders from above that they deem illegal. Although Donald Trump is not mentioned by name, it’s clear that they’re referring to the folks in power, and right now, we all know who that is.
The clip was posted to social media Tuesday by Sen. Elissa Slotkin and features her, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Reps. Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Chrissy Houlahan (PA-6), Maggie Goodlander (NH-2), and Jason Crow (CO-6). All are former members of either the military or the intelligence community.
Watch:
We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community. The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution. Don’t give up the ship.
— Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@@SenatorSlotkin) Nov 18, 2025
Their message has all the subtlety of a meat cleaver slamming into a cutting board:
In her post on X, Slotkin said the group wanted to speak “directly” to service members, claiming “the American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution.”
Kelly, a former Navy pilot, accused the Trump administration of “pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens,” echoing similar claims from Crow and Slotkin.
At several points in the video, Kelly, Slotkin, and Deluzio repeat the line: “You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders.”
Goodlander joined Kelly in reminding viewers that “like us, you swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution.”
No, they didn’t urge viewers to “rise up in insurrection” or “betray your country.” However, with Democrat “leaders” using increasingly violent language in the Trump era, and with the assassination attempts on the president and the killing of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, this certainly doesn’t seem like the lowering of divisive rhetoric that so many of them claim to stand for.
In fact, it seems like an item the Democrats bring up a lot themselves: a dog whistle.
Democrats actually recorded this, reviewed it, and thought: “yea this will be a good post” This is wild. Could you imagine the outcry the left would have if the right or Trump tried this? Insanity.
— Brad Parscale (@@parscale) Nov 18, 2025
READ MORE: Legacy Media Mostly Turns a Blind Eye to Jasmine Crockett’s Vile Insults, Calls to Violence
The group continued, implying that the United States is under siege from a dark force within our own borders. It doesn’t take Einstein to figure out what dark force they’re referring to.
Deluzio and Crow went further, warning that threats to the Constitution are coming “from right here at home,” a clear swipe at Trump.
The lawmakers acknowledged they were asking troops to make difficult judgments during what they called a “hard” moment for public servants.
“But whether you serve in the CIA, the Army, the Navy, or the Air Force, your vigilance is critical,” they said. “The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution.”
They closed the video with the repeated message: “Don’t give up the ship.”
Although those who appeared in the video have plausible deniability – nowhere did they condone illegal behavior or outwardly urge violent action – their message is nonetheless clear: bring more chaos and uncertainty, Democrats; it’s your moral obligation.
It’s a pretty sick message.
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