Trump Time: Retribution Now?

Particularly after scoring his win, resounding, President-elect Donald J. President e is extremely angry, seething with bitterness and profusion of acrimony overflowing for those who used all kinds of words -- censuring him, sometimes thoughtless language. Donald Trump is not a person who will ignore or exonerate disparagements. He is fully armed and ready to hit back in full measure. Come the inauguration day of his presidency, as promised the first day of his four-year presidential term, he will go seeking revenge in the scales unheard of in American history.

So, now a large majority of his critics are being cautioned, even warned: Get ready all our ‘enemies’, perceived adversaries; Democrats, political rivals, retribution times are here! And no one will be spared; many perpetrators are leaving for long stay, as the USA TODAY reported in the November 6 issue. “Revenge tour? Trump campaign threats raise questions of retribution-focused presidency.” A television network, NBC feared: “Trump’s perceived enemies brace for retribution.” The New York Times trumpeted in its November 10 edition: “Trumps critics worry he’ll target them for retribution.”

Now as the U.S. President-elect, Donald Trump, returns to the country’s, nay the world’s, most powerful office, the Oval Office, the White House, with mass privileges, gargantuan entitlements, no one in the United States can challenge or question him, in any manner. The U.S. Supreme Court has already sanctioned several immunities to Donald Trump. So, Danald Trump is, so to say, he is all on the top of world!

Meanwhile, during his nearly two-year presidential campaign, Donald Trump unreservedly, brazenly, even remorselessly, lampooned his Democratic presidential rival Kamala Harris, his 2020 presidential opponent, former Secretary of State and ex-First Lady Hillary Clinton, sitting U. S. head of state, President Joe Biden, and his several other senior party legislative officials, such as former U.S. Speaker, Nancy Pelosi…the list is very, very long whom Trump is on record having resoundingly vowed to take on all those ‘who often crossed ways with him during campaign townhall rallies.

Casually running through his umpteen campaign speeches, electoral gatherings large and small at platforms, public, private, social or political, ‘s vow for revenge will face few limitations. He pledged and solemnly vowed that come January 20, 2025, as the U.S. President from his Day 1 in the White House, he will ‘go after his critics and perceived enemies’. Though Trump has issued more than 100 threats to prosecute or generally punish his ‘perceived adversaries.’ Trump posted on his own Social Media Handle, Truth Social that ‘anyone deemed to have cheated in (his 2020) presidential election, would be prosecuted.’ Trump says, ‘he will use the Justice Department to punish people he doesn’t like… will round up and deport millions of immigrants…says he’ll deploy the American army against U.S. citizens…the bigger problem is the enemy within, i.e., his political opponents.

In addition, Trump listed a ‘Five-Point White House Strategy’ From Day One:

1. Pardoning the January 6, 2021 rioters (supporting his contention that he did not lost his White House race against Joe Biden… and that the 2021 election was ‘stolen’); 2. Reversing President Joe Biden’s Climate Policies; 3. Firing Special Counsel Jack Smith inquiring into some criminal cases against Donald Trump; 4. Overhaul of Federal workforce: Firing thousands of career employees he (Trump) deems disloyal; 5. Pardoning himself in most criminal cases.

Besides, Donald Trump has added that he will order mass deportation of illegal migrants; reversing key President Biden’s administrative educational policies; and, closing all the borders, and ‘I want to drill, drill, drill’.

During his two-year for his second presidential-bid poll campaign, Trump is said to have confronted numerous severely pernicious electronic and print media current affairs news and debate shows and feature story-type podcast / broadcasts. Some of these were termed humiliating, condescending.

Trump’s plan for legitimate stratagem and an opposite handle to ably manage such milieu, e.g., combating censorship, but promoting free speech/unhampered expression. In a way ‘prohibiting Federal partnership for speech restriction, investigating censorship activities, holding tech. corporations accountable, sanctioning universities involved in suppression, and establishing a “Digital Bill of Rights’’.

Restoring freedom of expression and eliminating “leftwing censorship regime: and pledging immediate action from January 21, 2025.When I am president, this whole rotten system of censorship and information control will be ripped out of system at large.

Finally, as a noted American active social thinker, but not an active supporter, Kriss Davis, opines about Donald Trump’s political moves, including Trump’s ‘retribution’ plans to be initiated by the Department of Justice under the Trump White House: The US Department of Justice is treated by most Presidents as an independent agency; that is only normal. The agency is a part of the exclusive branch of our government, So, a President can, if the attorney general (equivalent to minister law minister in India) is not strongly independent, direct that agency to start investigation.

Kriss Davis adds: “Also, the same is the case for enforcement agencies like the FBI. The CIA is not supposed to involve itself in domestic issues. But since 9/11, those lines are blurred to deal with transitional terrorism. If the president has no moral or ethical compass, then there is a lot of power he can bring to bear on his enemies. If the people he appoints are willing to do his bidding… Trump’s first term A-G would not do Trump’s bidding. Ending his career. Another was not agreeable either…the current nominee appears to have no problem doing whatever Trump wants. Ethical or not.”

Be that as it may, there are nearly two months to go for Donald Trump to be sworn in as the forty-seventh US President, he has lost no time in gathering his cabinet. The Transition Team has geared into action to facilitate the transition from the Biden Administration to the Trump Administration from January 21, 2025…. until then? Keep your fingers crossed!

1. R. Dua, former professor-head, journalism department, Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi, and an ex-faculty Journalism, California State University, US.