White House Declares All of Trump’s Orders to Military Are Legal

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says “all orders” from President Trump are “lawful orders,” and troops have no right to question him.

“All lawful—all orders—lawful orders are presumed to be legal by our service members. You can’t have a functioning military if there is disorder and chaos within the ranks,” Leavitt told reporters outside the White House on Monday. “And that’s what these Democrat members were encouraging. It’s very clear. And not a single one of them since they’ve been pressed by the media … can point to a single illegal order that this administration has given down because it does not exist.

“You can’t have a soldier out on the battlefield or conducting a classified order questioning whether that order is lawful or whether they should follow through,” Leavitt argued earlier, in a twisted reading of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Leavitt’s comments came as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth weighs court-martialing former astronaut, retired Naval officer, and now–Democratic Senator Mark Kelly for his role in a video that the right is claiming to be “seditious.”

“This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens. Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this Constitution. Right now, the threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad but from right here at home,” Kelly said in the clip, along with Senator Elissa Slotkin and Representatives Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, and Chrissy Houlahan—all former military or intelligence veterans. “Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders.”

Kelly later responded to threats from the Department of Defense.

“In combat, I had a missile blow up next to my jet and flew through anti-aircraft fire to drop bombs on enemy targets. At NASA, I launched on a rocket, commanded the space shuttle, and was part of the recovery mission that brought home the bodies of my astronaut classmates who died on Columbia. I did all of this in service to this country that I love and has given me so much.… I also saw the President’s posts saying I should be arrested, hanged, and put to death,” he wrote. “If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work. I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.”

Unfortunately for the White House’s arguments, there have been illegal orders to the military from the Trump administration. Just last week, a federal judge ruled that Trump’s deployment of the National Guard into Washington, D.C., was illegal. But Leavitt is doing what she does best: mindlessly supporting and justifying everything the president does.

Are Americans supposed to think that the Trump administration canceling the release of economics reports is somehow a good sign for the economy?

The Bureau of Economic Analysis announced Monday that it had officially canceled releasing the advance estimate on gross domestic product (GDP) for the third quarter of 2025. The Trump administration had previously delayed the release, which was initially slated for October 30, due to the government shutdown—but now it seems to have been abandoned altogether.

Last week, the Labor Department called off releasing its monthly jobs report for October, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics scrapped its own report on inflation.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed the Democrats two weeks ago for such delays, saying the liberal party “may have permanently damaged the federal statistical system.” She hinted at further cancellations, saying that data from October “will be permanently impaired.”

The Trump administration’s decision to get stingy with publishing economic data comes amid concerns that President Donald Trump’s policies aren’t all that good for the economy. Trump’s mass deportation scheme is estimated to reduce the GDP by between 4.2 to 6.8 percent, according to the American Immigration Council. Trump’s sweeping reciprocal tariffs are also expected to place a strain on GDP, according to the Tax Foundation.

If Trump would like to argue against these assertions, then the government may want to start publishing some actual data.

The BEA has also pushed the release of another report that tracks consumer earning, spending, and saving. That report will now be released on December 5. Three other reports on economic data from 2024 “will be rescheduled.”

The Commerce Department previously published that the U.S. economy contracted 0.5 percent in the first quarter, and then grew at a rate of 3.8 in the second quarter, leaving GDP in the first half of the year with an annual growth rate of roughly 1.66 percent, according to Fox Business.

Donald Trump was all set to unveil his health care plan to the public Monday but now plans to delay it after backlash from Republicans in Congress. 

The “Healthcare Price Cuts Act,” according to MS NOW, would have included a two-year extension to Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are due to expire next month and were a sticking point in government shutdown negotiations. It would also seek to end what the White House calls “surprise premium hikes,” and would require a small minimum premium payment, eliminating the $0 premium.  

Politico reports that the plan would have limited the subsidies to people whose incomes amount to 700 percent of the federal poverty line. But Republicans on Capitol Hill are not happy with the plan, with one of them anonymously telling MS NOW, “I wasn’t expecting the proposal to be Obamacare-lite. Absolutely not supportive of extending ACA subsidies.

“I’ve talked to enough [Republicans] to know that people weren’t expecting this and aren’t happy about it,” added the member of Congress. “I don’t see how a proposal like this has any chance of getting majority Republican support. We need to be focused on health care, but extending Obamacare isn’t even serious.”

The Trump administration seems to have put together the plan without input from its allies in Congress, with Republicans telling the news outlet that they didn’t know the proposal would extend ACA subsidies. The budget deal ending the government shutdown was rejected by all but eight Democrats in the Senate because it only included the promise of a vote on the subsidies, as opposed to an outright extension. 

Trump’s plan, if adopted, would mean Democrats getting at least a partial win on ACA subsidies, albeit with significant conditions. That’s apparently too much to swallow for the GOP, so it’s anyone’s guess whether Republicans will continue struggling to come up with their own health care plan 15 years after the Democrats.   

Vice President JD Vance threw a fit Monday over Republicans criticizing President Donald Trump’s—or possibly, Vladimir Putin’s—latest scheme to give Russia everything it wants from Ukraine.

Vance fumed on social media as Republicans voiced their concerns about the latest sprawling peace plan that was essentially a “wish list” of Russia’s long-standing demands, requiring Ukraine to give up territory, reduce the size of its armed forces, and agree not to use certain weapons. He took aim in particular at Senator Mitch McConnell, who’d urged the Trump administration on Friday to “find new advisors,” warning that “Putin has spent the entire year trying to play President Trump for a fool.”

Vance slammed the 84-year-old Republican, who is planning to retire in January. “This is a ridiculous attack on the president’s team, which has worked tirelessly to clean up the mess in Ukraine that Mitch—always eager to write blank checks to Biden’s foreign policy—left us,” Vance wrote on X. “I wonder if the three candidates to replace McConnell in Kentucky share his views here.”

In another, longer post Monday, Vance criticized the “beltway GOP” for not caring enough about issues such as the cost of living, crime, or health care.

“Our administration is working hard on addressing all of these problems. But you know what really fires up the beltway GOP? Not any of the above. Instead, the political class is really angry that the Trump administration may finally bring a four year conflict in Eastern Europe to a close,” Vance wrote.

“I’m not even talking about the substance of their views. Much of what these people have said about the Ukraine war has been proven wrong, but whatever. We can agree to disagree. But the level of passion over this one issue when your own country has serious problems is bonkers,” he wrote. “It disgusts me. Show some passion for your own country.”

While Vance has doubled down on the proposed Ukraine plan, it’s still not clear where it came from. Over the weekend, a group of GOP lawmakers claimed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had admitted the outrageous plan—which appeared to be translated from Russian—wasn’t actually put forth by the United States. Two European diplomats told Axios that when they pressed the Trump administration for clarification, they were specifically told it was not a “Trump plan.”

Shortly after, Rubio publicly claimed the plan was in fact “authored by the U.S.” but also seemed to downgrade the plan to simply a “framework.”

President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are looking to potentially court-martial Senator Mark Kelly for joining a video message with Democratic congressional veterans reminding soldiers that they can reject illegal orders.

“The Department of War has received serious allegations of misconduct against Captain Mark Kelly, USN (Ret.). In accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. § 688, and other applicable regulations, a thorough review of these allegations has been initiated to determine further actions, which may include recall to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures,” Trump’s Defense Department wrote on X Monday.

“The Department of War reminds all individuals that military retirees remain subject to the UCMJ for applicable offenses, and federal laws such as 18 U.S.C. § 2387 prohibit actions intended to interfere with the loyalty, morale, or good order and discipline of the armed forces,” the statement continued. “Any violations will be addressed through appropriate legal channels.… A servicemember’s personal philosophy does not justify or excuse the disobedience of an otherwise lawful order.”

“The video made by the ‘Seditious Six’ was despicable, reckless, and false,” Hegseth later wrote on his personal X account. “Encouraging our warriors to ignore the orders of their Commanders undermines every aspect of ‘good order and discipline.’ Their foolish screed sows doubt and confusion—which only puts our warriors in danger.”

This is an extreme response to a video that was very tame, measured, and rooted in the military’s own words.

“This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens. Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this Constitution. Right now, the threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but from right here at home,” Kelly said in the clip, along with Senator Elissa Slotkin and Representatives Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, and Chrissy Houlahan—all former military or intelligence veterans. “Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders.”

Last week, Trump called for their executions for reciting this basic military creed. On Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth added more fuel to the fire.

This is purely retaliatory. Trump has used the military in an alarming way, pitting it against American citizens as he’s released them into the city streets.

And while Kelly has yet to respond, the move has been met with disdain from those who agreed with Kelly’s original statement.

“Court [martialed] by the Department of Defense for saying what the UCMJ clearly states,’ one user wrote. “Political persecution at its finest.”

“Mark Kelly said troops should not follow illegal orders. And you’re saying you’re not giving any illegal orders,” wrote another. “So what exactly is the issue with what Mark Kelly said?”

Next steps for both Kelly and the Defense Department are still unclear at this point.