No need to speculate. Just listen to what he’s saying.
By David Corn
How bad could it be?
In recent weeks, I’ve had several people tell me they are not overly worried about Donald Trump possibly returning to power, noting the republic survived his four years in the White House. These are folks who do not want to vote to reelect President Joe Biden because of his support of Israel’s brutal bombing campaign in Gaza and others who just feel meh about the current occupant of the White House. It’s clear they have not been paying attention, for Trump himself and others have been outlining the alarming abuses of power that could ensue if he gets another shot at this. These projections ought to frighten anyone who gives a damn about American democracy. Moreover, it’s not hard to imagine potential Trump excesses that go beyond those he has already teased.
Let’s start with Trump’s own forecasts. He has promised the MAGA right that he will be its force of vengeance against liberals, Democrats, the supposed Deep State, the media, and other political opponents, whom he routinely casts as depraved commies and radicals out to destroy him and America (particularly its white suburban neighborhoods). “I am your retribution,” he proclaimed at a gathering of right-wingers in March. At a Fox News event on Wednesday night, he claimed that if he wins the 2024 election, “I’m not going to have time for retribution.” Yet Trump, who in September suggested that the top US military commander should be executed, has repeatedly indicated that he’s out for revenge against all his detractors (real and imagined) and that he will consider using the Justice Department to prosecute his enemies. In fact, a group of conservative think tanks under the auspices of what they benignly call Project 2025, has been drawing up plans for how Trump could do this.