Democratic US Senator Mark Kelly has said he will "seriously consider" running for president in 2028, as he confronts the Trump administration over a video in which he urged military personnel to refuse illegal orders.
The Arizona senator, who was accused of "rebellious behavior" by Donald Trump over the November video, said he and his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, received "numerous" death threats following the president's comments, the Telegraph reports.
"We get them every week now. We had to get security to protect us 24 hours a day," he told BBC Newsnight.
Asked if he was considering a run for the White House, the retired Navy captain said he was considering it "because we are in some very challenging times."
The 61-year-old, who is a former astronaut, noted that he is very different from most senators.
"I'm one of very few engineers, I'm the only person with a graduate degree in engineering in the United States Senate. I have combat experience, that's a little rare. I spent 25 years in the military. It's a serious decision. I just haven't made it yet," he said.
Kelly, 61, and five other lawmakers, all of whom had served in the military or had roles in intelligence, have come under government scrutiny after releasing a 90-second video encouraging troops to disobey orders they considered illegal.
It was published at a time of growing questions about the legality of US attacks on suspected drug-trafficking ships off the coast of South America.
Since then, the Pentagon has tried in vain to have his military rank reduced, and a grand jury has refused to indict him for insurrectionary conspiracy.
But Kelly said he expected Trump to continue his legal action against him.
"This will not end with my departure. I will continue to fight this even if it goes all the way to the Supreme Court," he added.
Critics of the Trump administration have called the government's crackdown on the six lawmakers an attack on free speech, and said it was another case of the president seeking to punish those he perceives as political enemies.
Kelly said the death threats he received were also directed at his wife Giffords, who was almost killed as a member of Congress in 2011 when she was shot in the head.
"Donald Trump is very reckless in what he says. There are people out there who, you know, react to what he said and people listen to him," he said.
Other Democrats considering a presidential run include Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump in 2024, and California Governor Gavin Newsom. /Telegraph
