In case you were wondering who he plans to go after first, here is a partial list.
President Joe Biden
Trump has frequently called Biden corrupt and, in June, reposted a Truth Social message that said he should be “arrested for treason.” In a speech last year, Trump vowed: “I will appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden, and the entire Biden crime family.”
Vice President Kamala Harris
Trump has described Harris’ failure to control migration as so severe that people have been “murdered because of her action at the border.” He told a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in September that Harris “should be impeached and prosecuted” for her role in permitting what he termed an “invasion” of the U.S. by undocumented immigrants.
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 its ties to Russia. In fact, the email snooping was aimed at a former foreign policy adviser to that campaign.
In August of this year, Trump reposted a message on Truth Social calling for “public military tribunals” for Obama.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
“Lock her up!” was a memorable refrain of Trump’s 2016 campaign rallies, alluding vaguely to Clinton’s use of a private email account while secretary of state and the ensuing FBI investigation, which did not lead to any charges.
In an interview in June of this year, Trump suggested Clinton should face the same sort of criminal prosecutions brought against him. “Wouldn’t it be terrible to throw the president’s wife and the former secretary of state … into jail?” Trump told Newsmax. “It’s a terrible, terrible, path that they’re leading us to and it’s very possible that it’s going to have to happen to them.”
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi
In September, Trump said Pelosi should face criminal charges in connection with her husband’s sale of Visa stock a few months before the Justice Department sued the company for alleged antitrust violations. “Nancy Pelosi should be prosecuted for that,” Trump said.
He also said Pelosi should be prosecuted for failing to ensure adequate security at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump supporters stormed the building as Congress was preparing to certify Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential race.
In a speech Monday, Trump said Pelosi “could’ve gone to jail for” theatrically ripping up a copy of Trump’s State of the Union address while sitting behind him on the House rostrum in 2020.
New York Attorney General Letitia James
James earned Trump’s ire as a result of the lawsuit she brought alleging widespread fraud in Trump’s business empire. The case resulted in a judgment of more than $450 million against Trump, who has appealed.
Last November, Trump said on Truth Social that James “should be prosecuted” for her role in the suit. In January, he said at a campaign rally in Iowa that James “should be arrested and punished accordingly.”
Trump has also reportedly expressed enthusiasm about plans some of his legal supporters have discussed to prosecute James for election interference.
Manhattan Justice Arthur Engoron
Engoron, a New York trial judge, faced a torrent of attacks from Trump while presiding over James’ civil fraud case. At a campaign event early this year, Trump said Engoron “should be arrested and punished accordingly.”
Former Rep. Liz Cheney
Cheney (R-Wyo.) angered Trump while serving as vice chair of the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. She is also one of the most prominent Republican figures to publicly endorse Harris over Trump. In March, Trump declared on Truth Social that Cheney “should go to jail.” In June, he reposted a message calling Cheney “guilty of treason.” And in the final days of the 2024 campaign, Trump mused: “Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her.” He said he was accusing her of hypocrisy for supporting the war in Iraq.
Special counsel Jack Smith
Smith, who brought both of the federal criminal cases against Trump, is a frequent punching bag for the former president. Last year, Trump reposted a social media message from conservative talk show host Mark Levin saying Smith “must go to prison.” In August, Trump reposted a message calling “Jackal Smith … a career criminal” and saying he “should be prosecuted for election interference and prosecutorial misconduct.” Last month, appearing on a radio show, Trump called Smith “mentally deranged” and said he “should be thrown out of the country.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg
Another one of Trump’s courtroom adversaries is Bragg, who brought the case that led to the former president’s conviction on 34 felony charges stemming from a scheme to secretly pay $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet during the 2016 election about her claims of a sexual encounter with Trump.
“There is a case to be made … that the prosecutor should be prosecuted — the district attorney should be prosecuted,” Trump told reporters during the trial in May.
Former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley
For more than three years, Trump has railed against Milley, claiming that the general’s contact with a Chinese official during the tense transition period four years ago amounted to treason. “This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!” Trump declared in a social media post last year. The feud was reignited in recent days after Milley called Trump “fascist to his core.”
There are more:
Former FBI Director James Comey
Hunter Biden and the rest of the Biden family
Former FBI special agent Peter Strzok
Former FBI attorney Lisa Page
Rep. Adam Schiff
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg
Former Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Mark Pomerantz
Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen
U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael ByrdTrump has joined with his supporters — some of whom took part in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot — to call for prosecution of Byrd, the U.S. Capitol Police officer who shot and killed rioter Ashli Babbitt as she attempted to breach the entrance to the Speaker’s Lobby while House members were being evacuated. The Justice Department announced in April 2021 that it closed the investigation into Babbitt’s death and no charges would be filed against Byrd. Last year, Trump called Byrd a “thug” and “coward,” adding: “Ashli Babbitt was murdered!”
Rep. Jamaal Bowman
51 intelligence professionals who signed letter about Hunter Biden laptop
Members of the Jan. 6 select committee
Unspecified people engaged in election fraudDespite few examples of verified election fraud, Trump has threatened severe criminal consequences for anyone who engages in such behavior, and he’s muddied the waters by suggesting such tampering went on during the 2020 race — and was bound to occur in 2024, too.
“WHEN I WIN, those people that CHEATED will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long term prison sentences so that this Depravity of Justice does not happen again,” Trump said on Truth Social in September. “Please beware that this legal exposure extends to Lawyers, Political Operatives, Donors, Illegal Voters, & Corrupt Election Officials. Those involved in unscrupulous behavior will be sought out, caught, and prosecuted at levels, unfortunately, never seen before in our Country.”
POLITICO reporters, editors and publisher
He will definitely do this to at least a few of the enemies on his list. I would not be surprised at all to seehim go after Cohen. He believes that you have to make an example of people who have wronged you or you won’t be respected.
I suspect that if someone comes crawling to him and shows proper obeisance, he’ll extend them a reprieve. Much of this exercise is to demand that these people refrain from any more criticism and either retire from public life or become his minions. You’ll note that this happened with most of his former GOP critics. A case in point:
If you follow the Marco and Lindsey examples you’ll probably be ok. If you continue to criticize him and oppose him anything can happen.
Look at what this worm is already doing:
Trump will never be held accountable for anything. He never has been. His followers see that as a superpower. But he will find it intensely satisfying to punish his enemies fro trying to do it. I fully expect to see some of these people facing legal peril.