“Don’t give up the ship.” These words, immortalized by Captain James Lawrence during the War of 1812, were spoken as he lay gravely wounded in the aftermath of a fierce naval clash between his USS Chesapeake and the British frigate HMS Shannon off the Boston coast.

Despite the enduring legacy of his words within the Navy, Captain Lawrence’s ship ultimately fell into British hands.

Recently, a group of Democratic lawmakers has rekindled this iconic phrase in a new video lasting one and a half minutes. The video encourages military personnel and intelligence officials to resist following orders they perceive as illegal. Although former President Donald Trump is not named directly, the message seems aimed at current leadership, leaving no doubt as to whom it alludes.

Senator Elissa Slotkin shared the video on social media this past Tuesday. It features herself alongside Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona and Representatives Chris Deluzio from Pennsylvania’s 17th district, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania’s 6th district, Maggie Goodlander from New Hampshire’s 2nd district, and Jason Crow of Colorado’s 6th district. Each of them has served in either the military or the intelligence community.

Watch the video below:

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

Hoo Boy: Schumer’s Remarks About Rising Up Against Trump Administration Sound Pretty Insurrection-Like

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.

Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.