President Donald Trump’s State Department is revising its country-by-country human rights reports to emphasize rights “given to us by God, our creator” and “moral law,” while shifting away from the traditional focus on discrimination and persecution against groups and minorities.

The Washington Post describes it as “radically” altering the reports, and as an “unapologetically U.S.-centric and religiously tinged view of human rights around the world.”

The State Department has directed all U.S. embassies and consulates to use the new guidelines, which include a focus on individual liberties.

“The State Department’s emphasis on so-called natural rights and de-emphasis on rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and other legally binding instruments suggest an intentional effort to limit rights,” Uzra Zeya, a top official for human rights at the State Department during the Biden administration, told the Post.

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The new focus appears to echo an attempt by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during the first Trump administration to focus on “unalienable rights,” along with property rights and religious rights while “downplaying the rights of women and gay people,” the Post noted.

The most recent reports, issued in August under Secretary Marco Rubio, had “significant details cut, particularly in regards to gender-based violence and the persecution of LGBTQ+ people.”

Human rights activists said those reports “had been edited to limit the criticism placed on key foreign policy allies with poor human rights records.” President Trump has defended nations and leaders with poor human rights records, most recently declaring Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had an excellent record on human rights.

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“I’m very proud of the job he’s done. What he’s done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else,” Trump said on Tuesday.

MBS, according to a CIA report, authorized the gruesome murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

A senior State Department official told CNN that they “are moving away from group identities, group labels, and focusing on the fact that when a person is persecuted for whatever reason, that is a violation of the moral law.”

“We’re making sure that we’re promoting individual freedom not based on some group identity,” they said.

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Amid tremendous uproar on the left over President Donald Trump calling for the arrest of six Democratic lawmakers for “seditious behavior,” and even promoting a call for them to be hanged, the White House is walking back what has been described as Trump’s “violent rhetoric,” by saying he wants them to be held accountable.

The Democrats, all veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or Intelligence Community, recorded a video reminding members of the military and the IC of their legal responsibility to not obey illegal orders.

Trump called their remarks “seditious behavior at the highest level,” and said that they should be “arrested and put on trial.” He also called the six lawmakers “traitors,” and wrote: “Seditious behavior, punishable by death!”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, asked about his attack on the Democratic representatives and senators, defended the president while appearing to attempt to minimize what Democratic leaders called “violent rhetoric.”

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“To suggest and encourage that active duty service members defy the chain of command is a very dangerous thing for sitting members of Congress to do,” Leavitt claimed, “and they should be held accountable, and that’s what the president wants to see. ”

When asked if Trump was encouraging political violence, Leavitt replied, “Why aren’t you talking about what these members of Congress are doing to encourage and incite violence?”

“They are literally saying to 1.3 million active duty service members, to defy the chain of command,” she charged.

U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), a former CIA officer, responded to Trump’s remarks by saying that Trump had “threatened myself and a number of other service and veteran lawmakers with arrest, trial, and death — because he didn’t agree with a video we put out this week.”

“I refuse to believe that this is the new normal,” she stated. “I refuse to believe that we are going to use fear and intimidation against people we disagree with. And I’m not going to be forced away from speaking up on behalf of my country.”

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House Democratic leaders said they had contacted Capitol Police to help protect the six Democrats after the president’s remarks, which they denounced as “disgusting and dangerous death threats” and “violent and unhinged rhetoric.”

“I’ve never seen a president who has gone this low,” said Leader Schumer. “I’ve never seen a president or heard of a president who has done more to encourage political violence. I have asked the Capitol Police to give special protection and keep an eye on [Elissa] Slotkin and [Mark] Kelly as well because you gotta worry after the president says these things.”

Leavitt: “To suggest and encourage that active duty service members defy the chain of command is a very dangerous thing for sitting members of Congress to do. And they should be held accountable. And that’s what the president wants to see.” pic.twitter.com/zqnlwyhLXq

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 20, 2025

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Image via Reuters

House Democratic leaders warned on Thursday that President Donald Trump’s attacks on six congressional Democrats, including calling for their arrest for “seditious behavior” and promoting remarks calling for them to be hanged, could lead to getting “someone killed.”

The president in a lengthy series of posts and reposts on social media targeted the six House and Senate Democrats, all U.S. Armed Forces or Intelligence Community veterans, for appearing in a video in which they reminded members of the military and the IC of their legal responsibility not to obey illegal orders.

“No one has to carry out orders that violate the law, or our Constitution,” they said. “Know that we have your back.”

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Trump called their remarks “seditious behavior at the highest level,” and said that they should be “arrested and put on trial.”

He also called the six lawmakers “traitors,” and wrote: “Seditious behavior, punishable by death!”

In a statement, House Democratic leaders including Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark, and Pete Aguilar praised their Democratic colleagues as having “served our country with tremendous patriotism and distinction.”

They condemned the president’s “disgusting and dangerous death threats against Members of Congress” and urged House Republicans to join them.

“Donald Trump incited a violent attack on the Capitol on January 6th as part of a treacherous attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,” they added. “The President’s violent and unhinged rhetoric against American patriots is consistent with his well-documented history of attacking prisoners of war, Gold Star families and war heroes.”

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They also announced that they “have been in contact with the House Sergeant at Arms and the United States Capitol Police to ensure the safety of these Members and their families.”

The leadership called on Trump to “immediately delete these unhinged social media posts and recant his violent rhetoric before he gets someone killed.”

Separately, on social media, Leader Jeffries wrote: “Donald Trump should keep his reckless mouth shut.”

Critics responded to the leadership’s message.

“Treat him like an unhinged menace,” wrote The New Republic’s Greg Sargent, referring to Trump. “He’s in deep political trouble. Don’t let up.”

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Image via Reuters