Another day, another cryptic threat made by the President of the United States.
By now, I'm pretty sure we're all well aware of Donald Trump's reputation for speaking his mind and not sugarcoating his words.
The US President, who is currently serving his second term in the White House, is rarely out of the headlines for his wild statements and controversial political decisions.
Take, for instance, the outrage sparked over his $300 million plans to demolish the East Wing of the White House to make room for his very own ballroom. Or how about the criticism he's facing for mimicking the accent of India's Prime Minister during the last leg of his Asia tour this week?
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Yes, the former businessman is no stranger to controversy, and now, he's gotten people talking once again after making a cryptic threat on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Criticism over Donald Trump's meeting with Xi Jinping
It all started when Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea earlier this week as part of his tour of Asia, which resulted in announcements being made regarding tariffs and closer trade ties between the two countries.
Following the meeting, Trump said aboard Air Force One that the meeting with Jinping was a '12 out of 10', while Beijing said the results were 'hard-won', the BBC reports.
While Trump seemed enthusiastic about the meeting, despite a deal not being done yet, it seems critics of the President don't share the same sentiment.
Journalist John Harwood stated: "Xi wiped the floor with Trump," while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that his trip 'has been a total dud'.
While speaking on the Senate floor, the New York Democrat also slammed Trump for his 'trade war', saying it has been 'an utter disaster from the start'.
"It’s been a nightmare for our allies, for our economy, for our families, who are paying more because of the Trump tariff tax."
Trump's response to Chuck Schumer's words
Trump never takes kindly to criticism of his leadership, and it didn't take him long to send a threat to those who speak out against him.
Penning on Truth Social, the President said: "Worked really hard, 24/7, took in Trillions of Dollars, and Chuck Schumer said trip was 'a total dud,' even though he knows it was a spectacular success.
"Words like that are almost treasonous!!!"
With Trump throwing the word 'treason' around, it's got many to wonder if it's actually a crime in the United States.
To put it short, yes - treason is a federal crime, as stated in Title 18 U.S. Code § 2381: "Levying war against the United States, or adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort."
Is criticising a President treason?
However, criticising the President is not considered to be treason, so it's incredibly unlikely that Schumer will face any repercussions for his harsh words about Trump's Asia trip.
This isn't the first time Trump has argued treason - throwing it back to 2019 during his first term of presidency, he accused his critics of treason, saying in the Oval Office: "There are people out there that have done some very, very evil things, very bad things - I would say treasonous things - against our country.
"And hopefully the people that have done such harm to our country - we've gone through a period of really bad things happening - those people will certainly be looked at."
Topics: US News, Politics, Donald Trump, World News
Emily Puckering