US presidential elections: will Donald Trump’s second term witness his outright revenge?

“When I win, those people who cheated will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, including long prison sentences,” Donald Trump said in September, long before American voters handed him decisive victory over rival Kamala Harris in the US presidential race. With Trump facing a second term in the Oval Office, the question arises: Will Trump, who has not shied away from threatening anyone he considers his enemies, get his “revenge”?

Throughout his campaign, Trump has vowed to settle scores, calling out political opponents by name and calling them “enemies within.” citizens alike are preparing for what may come next.

Trump’s campaign left little room for speculation about his intentions. He has repeatedly warned that his second term would mean a reckoning with those he holds responsible for obstructing his agenda and undermining his leadership.

Since he began organizing his 2022 campaign, Trump has made more than 100 threats to prosecute or even punish his perceived opponents, according to an NPR report. Between January 1, 2023 and April 1, 2024, Trump threatened to harass or impeach President Joe Biden at least 25 times on Truth Social, the report said.

In the fiery interview with podcast host Joe Rogan, Trump didn’t hold back: “We have a bigger problem with the enemy from within than we’ve ever had with people like Kim Jong Un,” he said, positioning leading Democrats and former allies as domestic threats potentially more dangerous than any foreign enemy.

But this was not just talk. Trump detailed his plans for retaliation with startling clarity. He called senior Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff “more dangerous than China or Russia” and floated the idea of ​​using the military to “handle” any disruptive critics.

Trump also said Kamala Harris “should be impeached and held accountable.”

Journalists and reporters did not stand aside either. In 2022, Trump called for jailing journalists who do not reveal the identities of whistleblowers. “If the reporter doesn’t want to tell you, then bye-bye, the reporter is going to jail,” he said.

Former Justice Ministry employees are sounding the alarm

This rhetoric has put Trump on a collision course with American democratic norms. Former Justice Department officials, alarmed by the threats, have raised alarm bells about what a Trump-led Justice Department might look like if it is driven primarily by revenge.

Michael Bromwich, a former Justice Department inspector general, warned that Trump’s list of public enemies – those who “crossed him” during his first term – signaled a deeply troubling break from tradition. “Trump’s anti-democratic, authoritarian rhetoric has intensified,” Bromwich said, emphasizing that the former president’s approach appears to view the Constitution as “a nuisance to be circumvented rather than a set of principles to be respected,” according to the report. from The Guardian.

Barbara McQuaid, another former federal prosecutor, echoed those concerns, calling Trump’s threats a “dangerous aberration of democratic norms.” McQuaid noted that the use of presidential powers for personal vendettas “is something we see in authoritarian regimes, not democracies,” according to The Guardian report.

REVENGE AND REVENGE: AN UNTESTED SECOND TERM?

Without the guardrails he faced during his first term, Trump’s plans appear to be focused on staffing his administration exclusively with loyalists willing to implement his vision without question. He has suggested that moderate Republicans will no longer be welcome in his administration, and there is talk of reissuing a controversial executive order aimed at eliminating job protections for thousands of federal workers.

For Trump, loyalty is now paramount. As he said at a rally in Pennsylvania, his biggest regret of his first term was hiring “disloyal people.”

Critics say the approach could clear the way for an unprecedented consolidation of power.

“Trump wants a second try without any obstacles from people telling him what he can’t do,” Tim Naftali, a senior fellow at Columbia University, was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

Naftali also highlighted recent Supreme Court decisions that grant presidents greater immunity, saying Trump could face fewer restrictions this time.

JUSTICE SYSTEM AT THE CROSSROADS

In particular, the Department of Justice came to Trump’s attention. Trump has repeatedly said he intends to appoint an attorney general to investigate and prosecute his opponents.

Speaking to The Hill, Michael Bromwich warned that a retribution-focused Justice Department could become “unlike anything we’ve ever seen,” populated by “lawyers with big ambitions and few principles, working for the president himself, protected immunity from prosecution granted by the Supreme Court.”

Yet while the former president’s critics shudder, his supporters rejoice. For many who have felt disenfranchised by the political establishment, Trump’s willingness to take on the “deep state” marks a long-awaited victory. “He’s finally going to drain the swamp,” said one supporter at a recent rally. “This is Trump on the loose.”

THE SIZE OF TRUMP’S POSSIBLE “REVENGE”

The scope of Trump’s promised retaliation appears vast, spanning political rivals, members of the judiciary and even federal agencies. Trump has vowed to involve the Justice Department in prosecuting those he believes have harmed him, including opening investigations into President Biden. Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, and others. Trump has also signaled he will reinstate an executive order, dubbed Schedule F, that allows him to fire thousands of federal workers deemed disloyal, replacing them with loyalists who support his vision. This potential change to the federal workforce could give Trump unprecedented influence over government agencies.

Trump suggested arresting Smith and called him a criminal. He said: “He must be held accountable for election interference and prosecutorial misconduct.”

“Arrest the deranged Jack Smith. HE’S A CRIME!” Trump wrote.

But Trump faces significant limits to his pursuit of unfettered retaliation. While recent Supreme Court rulings provide some protection against presidential immunity, other legal and procedural limitations remain. For example, while Trump might appoint loyalists to key roles, the Justice Department and the judiciary still conduct various internal reviews. Grand juries, federal judges and independent prosecutors must evaluate and confirm any investigations or charges brought that could slow or block efforts to prosecute political opponents without a factual basis. In addition, attempting to weaponize federal agencies for political gain may face resistance from career government officials, potential whistleblowers, and in some cases, mass resignations.

As Trump looks to return to the Oval Office, the US finds itself on the brink. Will Trump follow through on these promises of retribution, or is it all bluster? Only time will tell.