Bottom Line Up Front:
Trump’s retribution campaign is reshaping the country. The same tools he’s using to go after political opponents are also being turned toward universities, businesses, newsrooms, and even the legal system itself. Every American will feel the impact.
WHAT HAPPENED
The revenge campaign is now undeniable. CNN reports that Trump’s administration has now launched what appears to be retaliatory federal investigations into top figures from nearly every major probe of his political career — including the Russia investigation, his Ukraine impeachment, the January 6 insurrection, business scandals, and missing classified documents.
The list of targets is long, and it’s growing fast.
For example, Attorney General Pam Bondi has empaneled grand juries targeting former Obama officials for their work related to Russia’s election interference in 2016. The DOJ is probing former impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff. New York Attorney General Letitia James, who won a $350M civil fraud judgment against Trump, is under investigation herself. Special prosecutor Jack Smith who led the January 6 and classified document investigations is now being investigated by DOJ. And fellow whistleblowers like Eugene and Alexander Vindman are facing federal scrutiny.
But the real story isn’t just who’s on it. It’s what it means for the rest of us.
WHAT IT MEANS
Trump’s revenge agenda isn’t confined to political “elites.” The same tactics he’s using to punish critics are being applied to ordinary institutions and sectors that touch every American’s life. For instance…
Legal access: If you or your family or your business are wronged by the government, you may struggle to find a lawyer willing to take your case. Trump’s administration is sanctioning law firms that won’t toe the political line, shrinking your options for justice.
Education: Your child’s college options (and the quality of their education) are now being heavily dictated by White House politics. Universities from Harvard to UCLA are being told to change policies or lose critical federal funding, a historic financial chokehold on higher learning.
Business: The products on your shelves, the jobs in your town, and the prices you pay are now bargaining chips. Trump has pressured companies to adopt his politics with tariffs, threatened CEOs with firing, and used regulations as a political weapon.
Public safety: Federal troops can now be moved into your city under “law and order” pretexts. Just see what’s happening in LA and DC. Trump has said outright he’s targeting Democratic cities, putting entire communities under intimidation. What’s more — as I’ve written about regularly — he’s planning to personally start making the decisions about who gets emergency aid after natural disasters.
Media: The news you see, hear, and read is now under unprecedented pressure to favor the president. From installing loyalists to oversee CBS News to seizing control of Voice of America, the administration is engaged in a concerted effort to narrow the flow of truthful, independent reporting.
I spoke about this on MSNBC this weekend, and I explained why it’s really important for people to make their family, friends, and colleagues aware of how Trump’s revenge campaign is seeping into our everyday lives:
“It’s going to change the way you get legal representation… it’s going to change the universities you try to learn at… it’s going to influence the media that you consume because they’re trying to intimidate media organizations. The President’s revenge campaign is warping our society, and that’s not hyperbole.”
WHAT’S NEXT
This is the playbook of autocrats. They make examples of political enemies while bending the entire system — from law and commerce to education and the “free” press — to serve the leader. The consequences will not stop with the people whose names you read in the headlines.
I fully expect the campaign to widen. More federal agencies are likely to be turned into instruments of political enforcement, and more sectors of American life will feel the squeeze. The question now is whether enough people will recognize that it’s not just happening “over there” to someone else, but here, to all of us.
My ask of you today is this: please forward this message to a friend. Anyone. We need to help people wake up.
If you’re concerned, too, share this graphic on social media:
I know you warn against taking revenge. The retaliatory mind-set will lead to a cycles of reprisal. I understand the boomerang effect of vindictiveness. Yet, I want to send mob boss Trump and his low life gang to alligator island. I want to make them kneel and beg for their food. I can give in to such dark feelings, knowing far well, there is a big difference between wishing and doing. While being under attack, your moral stature remains strong. When this blitz war is over, I am certain you and countless like minded people, will rebuild the war torn democracy in better and stronger ways.
I"m curious, Miles, how can we be certain the empaneled jury relative to President Obama and his team is a fair and not biased one?