Will Saletan Exposes Trump's Enemies List and Retribution Plans Through His Own Words

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Will Saletan Exposes Trump's Enemies List and Retribution Plans Through His Own Words

Will Saletan from The Bulwark systematically dismantles the narrative that Donald Trump never threatened political opponents or promised retribution. Using Trump's own statements from rallies, interviews, and public appearances over a three-month period, Saletan reveals explicit threats against Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, Kamala Harris, Liz Cheney, Michelle Obama, Gavin Newsom, and the press. While surrogates like Vivek Ramaswamy and Byron Donalds claim Trump never discussed prosecuting enemies, Saletan presents video evidence of Trump threatening jail time, revoking broadcast licenses, and describing political opponents as "the enemy from within." The analysis challenges what Saletan calls Republican gaslighting about Trump's authoritarian rhetoric and intentions.

Categories: Liberal Opinions
November 12, 2024

The Gaslighting Campaign

Will Saletan from The Bulwark opens with a stark assessment of the political moment: Americans have reelected Donald Trump, and now supporters are attempting to convince the public that Trump is not the vengeful figure many believe him to be. Saletan's stated mission is to contrast what Trump's defenders are saying on television with what Trump himself has been saying over the past three months.

The examination begins with Vivek Ramaswamy appearing on ABC with Jonathan Karl. When confronted with statements from Mike Davis, mentioned by Donald Trump Jr. as a possible attorney general candidate, calling for revenge against Trump's opponents and saying they should be unified in prison, Ramaswamy deflects. He claims Americans haven't heard such rhetoric from Donald Trump himself, insisting Trump will be a president for all Americans. Ramaswamy points to Trump's first term, noting that despite "lock her up" chants about Hillary Clinton, Trump didn't prosecute her.

When Karl presses Ramaswamy about Trump's previous attempts to have the Justice Department prosecute Barack Obama and Joe Biden during his first term, citing conversations with former Attorney General Bill Barr, Ramaswamy responds by quoting Trump: "Success will be our retribution, success will be our vengeance." He calls this "a beautiful sentiment."

Denying the Enemies List

Congressman Byron Donalds appears next, delivering a similar message on Fox News. Donalds insists that claims about Trump targeting enemies are lies from the Democratic left, stating this is not something Trump has ever spoken to or committed to whatsoever. He maintains there is no enemies list and that Trump's focus is solely on the American people.

Saletan then presents contrary evidence from an October 20th Trump interview where Trump explicitly names political opponents as threats. Trump calls Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi "the enemy from within" and describes them as "bad people" and "a threat to democracy."

Building the List

A week after the Schiff and Pelosi comments, at an Atlanta rally, Trump made a curious accusation. He claimed Kamala Harris was labeling Americans as enemy combatants and calling them fascists and Nazis, then declared, "but she's a fascist." Saletan notes this is a complete fabrication, as Harris never used such language, but finds it revealing that Trump chose to use the phrase "enemy combatants" in his false claim.

The list continued to grow. At a Pennsylvania rally a week later, Trump added Michelle Obama, saying, "She came at me the other day, that's not nice of her to do and I think we're going to start having a little fun with Michelle."

Threats of Prosecution

Regarding what Trump intends to do with his enemies list, Saletan presents evidence starting with Hillary Clinton. In a September appearance on the Lex Fridman podcast, Trump stated: "I could have done a big number on Hillary Clinton. I thought it looked terrible to take the president's wife and put her in prison. She's so lucky I didn't do anything. She's so lucky."

Saletan emphasizes that Clinton has never been charged with a crime, yet Trump suggests the only reason she isn't in jail is his personal decision. Trump repeated this sentiment in a radio interview with Hugh Hewitt weeks later, saying, "I could have had her put in jail."

The analysis points out that when Trump says he personally could have imprisoned Clinton, it indicates he believes he will have that power when he takes office. At a September rally, Trump expanded his targets to include critics of his Supreme Court appointees, declaring, "These people should be put in jail, the way they talk about our judges and our justices, trying to get them to sway their vote, sway their decision."

Threats Beyond Prison

Liz Cheney, the former congresswoman who served as vice chair of the January 6th committee investigating Trump's role in the Capitol attack, received particular attention. At an Arizona appearance on October 31st, Trump called the committee members "scum" and falsely claimed they deleted and destroyed all evidence in what he termed "the greatest cover up."

At that same event, Trump made explicit violent imagery about Cheney: "Let's put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her. Let's see how she feels about it, you know, when the guns are trained on her face."

At an October 12th rally, Trump threatened California Governor Gavin Newsom with withholding federal disaster relief money, saying he would force compliance down Newsom's throat and withhold fire money for forest fires.

Targeting the Press

The media occupies a prominent place on Trump's enemies list. At his Madison Square Garden rally two weeks before the election, Trump called the press "the enemy" multiple times, stating, "Even the enemy, because they are the enemy, they are the enemy of the people, the press."

Trump's plans for the media include revoking broadcast licenses. At an October 25th Michigan rally, he declared: "60 Minutes should be taken off the air, they should, and CBS should lose its license." A week later in Nevada, he added: "I think CBS should lose its license, but I think ABC should lose its license also because of what they've done."

Saletan explains Trump's grievances stem from disliking how ABC moderated his debate with Harris and how 60 Minutes edited an interview with her. At a Pennsylvania rally on November 3rd, two days before the election, Trump made disturbing comments about reporters who might be in the line of fire if someone tried to shoot him: "To get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news, and I don't mind that so much. I don't mind."

The Pattern of Propaganda

Saletan concludes by rejecting what he calls "the crap" about Trump having no enemies list and wanting only success as retribution. He characterizes Trump as a hater out for vengeance who has been threatening for months to punish Democrats and the media, throw people in jail, and abuse presidential power.

The final assessment describes the current Republican messaging strategy as gaslighting propaganda similar to what happens in countries where one man controls the government and his supporters use media to erase history. Saletan's closing line emphasizes the transformation: "We didn't used to be one of those countries, but that's where we are now."

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