Even before winning the US presidential elections, Donald Trump repeatedly voiced his intention to punish his political enemies, and now he has fewer deterrents to do so.
Points of attention
- Donald Trump's history of vengeful rhetoric raises concerns about potential retaliation against his political opponents in the US.
- Trump's threats extend to prominent figures like Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Nancy Pelosi, as well as law enforcement, journalists, and tech moguls.
- The lack of deterrents and legal immunity for former presidents may embolden Trump to carry out his promised crackdown on critics and adversaries, potentially threatening political freedoms and the rule of law.
- With the possibility of revenge on the horizon, the US faces a climate of fear and uncertainty as Trump's vindictive plans may come to fruition, impacting various sectors of society.
- As Trump returns to power, the fear of retaliation becomes more palpable, potentially altering the political landscape and freedoms in the country.
Is Trump's revenge on political rivals and journalists possible?
After returning to the White House, Trump may seek revenge on his political opponents. Politico published a list of famous American politicians who may become the first political prisoners in recent US history.
The authors of the publication note that over the years, Trump has filled his speeches and posts on social networks with vindictive calls for the prosecution, imprisonment, deportation and even execution of his political opponents, his critics and members of the media. In the final weeks of the 2024 campaign, he reiterated those promises of retaliation.
Many Trump supporters dismissed the threats as campaign rhetoric. But others — including some of Trump's closest advisers — warn ominously that he is likely to follow through on those threats. After all, now he does not need to care about ratings, since he will no longer be able to run for a new presidential term. And a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that grants presidents broad immunity from criminal liability even after leaving office may give him the embolden to crack down.
So, here is a list of people who, according to Trump himself, should worry about their freedom from now on:
The current president is Joe Biden. Trump has often called Biden corrupt, and in June said he should be "arrested for treason."
The current vice president is Kamala Harris. Trump blamed Harris directly for the migration crisis in the US and claimed that people were "killed because of her actions at the border".
Former President Barack Obama. In 2020, Trump accused Obama of "treason" for what Trump describes as the FBI's surveillance of his 2016 presidential campaign over suspected ties to Russia. In August of this year, Trump reposted a message on social media calling for "public military tribunals" against Obama.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. During the 2016 election, Trump repeatedly called for Clinton to be jailed over the scandal involving the leaking of classified information from her mailbox. In June of this year, Trump said that throwing the wife of the president and the former secretary of state in prison is "a terrible path that they are taking us down, and it is very possible that it will happen to them."
Former speaker Nancy Pelosi. Trump said in September that Pelosi should face criminal charges in connection with her husband's sale of Visa stock, months before the Justice Department sued the company for alleged antitrust violations. He also blamed her for the pogrom in the Congress building on January 6, 2021, committed by Trump supporters.
Hunter Biden and the rest of the Biden family. Trump has said he will appoint a special prosecutor to investigate what he says is corruption related to the Biden family. He did not give clear information about whom he would investigate and for what, but he sometimes spoke about the money that Biden's son Hunter received from Chinese sources.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Trump and some of his allies sharply criticized Zuckerberg after he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, committed $420 million in 2020 to improve election infrastructure. Trump supporters say the money was a thinly veiled conspiracy to undermine his re-election bid.
In addition, the list of potential political prisoners includes a number of representatives of the US law enforcement system involved in investigations against Trump, as well as other former officials of various US government agencies and even journalists.
US aid to Ukraine may decrease
On November 6, it was officially announced that the leader of the Republicans, Donald Trump, will once again become the president of the United States.
It is no secret that during the election campaign, Donald Trump and the future vice president JD Vance expressed doubts about the continuation of large-scale support for Kyiv many times.
They also complained that full-scale war has been going on for over 2.5 years since the Russian invasion.
The Republican leader also recently made it clear that his team could push Ukraine to reach a difficult truce with Russia.
This victory caught Kyiv at a critical moment when Russia is stepping up its offensive on eastern Donbas. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, noted that the situation on the front line "remains difficult," and certain areas "require constant updating of the resources of Ukrainian units."
