As the Trump administration enacts its agenda, two priorities—one bad and the other good—come into conflict. President Donald Trump and his supporters have threatened to punish political enemies who, they believe, used the mechanisms of government to target them. But they've also acted to shrink the state. To the extent that efforts to defang intelligence and enforcement agencies like the FBI precede and prevail over attempts at retribution, such vindictiveness will be less possible. That would reduce the danger of the government in the hands of the current president and those to come.
Threats Against Political Enemies
When he was running to return to the White House, Trump threatened to "go after" then-President Joe Biden and his family with a special prosecutor. He also said members of Congress who investigated the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot "should go to jail." He told a crowd that his main opponent in the presidential race, Kamala Harris, "should be impeached and prosecuted." He has a nasty habit of threatening to punish opponents, even if he later hedges his comments with promises that "retribution will be through success" in helping the country.
