President Donald Trump's comments directed at a Republican lawmaker raised eyebrows on Monday when he suggested that she needs to remain loyal to him to stay in his good graces.
Trump was with a group of female congressional leaders and cabinet members at the Oval Office to announce the new website to help support maternal health for Americans, moms.gov, when he dropped the veiled threat towards Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL).
"I hope she always remains loyal to me so I can continue to support her," Trump said.
"You've got it," Britt responded.
"I would hate to go against her. That will never happen, Katie, right?" Trump commented.
"That's right, sir," Britt said.
People on social media were stunned by the interaction and shared their reactions.
"Trump literally just publicly threatened to go against Sen. Katie Britt unless she stays 'loyal to me.' We’re living in an autocracy," Andy Ostroy, writer, HBO documentary director and nonprofit founder, wrote on X.
"This is stuff you only hear in authoritarian countries," Vince Wilson, liberal political commentator and YouTube personality, wrote on X.
"KATIE BRITT DOES NOT WORK FOR TRUMP. Why is that not a bigger story!!" wrote Janet Smith, high school geology teacher and political commentator with nearly 5K followers on X.
"Omg that's disgusting," Elliot Edelstein, who self-describes as a business owner and Sept. 11 survivor with more than 3K followers on Bluesky, wrote.
"He just can't stop talking like a Temu version of a Mafia boss. Give me Fat Tony from the Simpsons any day," wrote user Miss Ivonne, a Spanish teacher in Kentucky and political commentator, in a post on Bluesky.
TRUMP: Katie Britt -- I hope she always remains loyal to me so I can continue to support her
BRITT: You've got it
TRUMP: I would hate to go against her. That will never happen, Katie, right?
BRITT: That's right, sir pic.twitter.com/hK9vuwCtIM
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 11, 2026