Donald Trump is reportedly assembling a roster of individuals he contends with, which surprisingly includes former opponents Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. There have been insinuations that Trump plans to punish these same individuals if he returns to political office. Amongst those likely on the receiving end of Trump’s retaliation, if he seizes power again, is his predecessor Joe Biden.
Backing up these suspicions, Trump proffered in 2023, after one of his charges, that he would select an authentic special prosecutor to pursue the ‘most corrupt president in U.S. history, Joe Biden, along with his entire alleged crime family.’ Kamala Harris, Trump’s previous political counterpart, is denied exclusion from this list of potential targets as well.
Trump strongly condemns the Bidens, blaming them for a myriad of offences, including corruption. He asserts that prosecuting them would be a means of avenging the multiple legal cases he’s faced following his departure from the presidential office. The cases he refers to are, chiefly, his and his associates’ convicting on 34 felony accusations of misrepresenting business transactions during the Stormy Daniels scandal by a New York jury.
During a June conversation with Sean Hannity of Fox News, Trump articulated, ‘When the election concludes, given their actions, I would be justified in pursuing them. It would be straightforward, especially because it’s Joe Biden. Considering all the criminal activity and money flow into his family and himself.’
Interestingly, former President Barack Obama might be a prospective candidate for Trump’s vengeance as well. Trump has incessantly accused Hunter Biden and Jim Biden, Joe Biden’s son and brother respectively, of involvement in corrupt foreign transactions over the years.
Hunter Biden has been previously held accountable this year for firearm possession and tax fraud offenses by the Department of Justice. Another individual on Trump’s radar is Alvin Bragg, Manhattan’s District Attorney, who indicted Trump in the aforementioned hush-money incident.
When queried on his plans to prosecute Bragg should he find himself in a presidential position once again, Trump vaguely mentioned, ‘Alvin Bragg was involved in some highly questionable activities, but I wouldn’t state my intentions prematurely’ and concluded with a cryptic ‘let’s see what transpires.’
Judge Juan Merchan, who impaneled the Manhattan hush-money trial, is also seemingly on Trump’s watchlist. Shortly after Merchan’s verdict, the perceived future President gave his opinion saying, ‘He is an unethical judge. And that will become clear. To say this could entail risks for me, yet it doesn’t perturb me because I am prepared to undertake any necessary means to safeguard our nation and our Constitution.’
Trump’s repeated criticism extends to Letitia James, who lodged a successful civil lawsuit against him for his questionable entrepreneurial maneuvers. Trump suggested that James merits investigation by authorities, dismissing the civil fraud lawsuit as ‘interference with the election.’
Another relapsed rivalry might occur between Trump and Hillary Clinton if he steps into presidential shoes once again. During the 2016 electoral campaign, Trump admonished Clinton for her utilization of a private email server during her office tenure as Secretary of State under Obama’s administration and claimed that ‘she deserves to be imprisoned.’
Trump further attempted to orchestrate her prosecution during his presidency, but saw his efforts blocked by his advisors. Rekindling old wounds, Trump could potentially include former President Barack Obama in his line of retaliation.
Trump has previously accused Obama of conspiring a ‘treasonous’ act stemming from the Justice Department’s examination of his 2016 electoral campaign concerning possible links with Russia. If Trump returns to power, he could potentially use it as a staging ground to revive his dormant grievances, causing stirrings in the echelon of American politics and its judiciary system.
This comprehensive list reveals Trump’s discontent with certain political figures belonging to both the Democratic and Republican parties. It showcases his drive to institute legal action against those he perceives as adversaries.
Drafting these individuals as targets suggests that Trump aims to rewrite the narrative of his past political career. Moreover, this list implies a broader strategy of contention within the political circle, showing Trump’s relentless combativeness and his willingness to engage his political rivals head-on.