Sen. Slotkin generates backlash with deter young conservatives comment

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said at a University of Chicago event on Oct. 13 that she wants young people considering jobs in the Trump administration to be deterred by the prospect of scrutiny for those who helped the President.

“I want young people coming out of school to say, ‘Should I go work for the Trump administration? Like, that sounds fun. I might get an opportunity.’ I want them to be like, ‘Lord, that might be buying myself a ton of problems that I don’t want, and so let me avoid participating in that.’ I want that deterrence message,” Slotkin said, according to a clip posted on X by ThinkerChicago.

Following backlash from conservatives, Slotkin defended the remarks Oct. 19 on MS NOW’s “Deadline: White House.” She said her message is aimed at people who could be asked to follow illegal requests, and that “[I]f you break the law, you should be held accountable.” She also said lawyers who use frivolous lawsuits to intimidate political opponents should face scrutiny of their bar status. Slotkin was among six Democratic lawmakers the Justice Department investigated over a 2025 video urging service members to refuse illegal orders. Prosecutors failed to obtain an indictment in February, the National News Desk reported.

Mike Davis, founder and president of the Article III Project, wrote in a Fox News opinion column that Slotkin wants Trump officials prosecuted to discourage young conservatives from serving, an action he said would be unconstitutional. 

“The Senate Ethics Committee should open an investigation into Slotkin immediately,” Davis urged.

On MS NOW, Slotkin said she believes being a woman who criticizes the administration contributes to the magnitude of the reaction. Davis separately wrote on X that Slotkin is being criticized “because you are a fascist,” not because she is a woman. 

Slotkin also interpreted an earlier Davis post telling her to “learn about the Second Amendment, sweetheart” as a suggestion that she be shot and claimed that he is mobilizing death threats against her and her staff. 

Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, said on X that Slotkin’s remarks are indicative of her fear of young conservatives because they “are clear-eyed about the threat posed by the American Left. They are under no illusion that leftists play fair, or that they ultimately want the same things but prefer different ways of getting there. That makes them fearless and effective. But to leftists like Slotkin, it also makes them a threat.”

Katie Miller, the wife of White House adviser Stephen Miller, viewed Slotkin’s comments as part of a broader Democrat strategy. 

“Believe what they say: they aren’t targeting just President Trump or Elon Musk —they want to go after you and your family. Democrats have targeted churches and Republicans through the IRS,” she said. “We’ve seen this Democrat playbook before: investigate those who can shape American thought and enact real change.”

American Moment, a conservative nonprofit that prepares young right-leaning professionals for government jobs, chimed in with a video of their own on Oct. 19. Nick Solheim, the group’s co-founder and CEO, replied, “We are going to help them get jobs, we are going to put them to work, and if anyone comes after them — they’ll have a fight on their hands.”