Donald Trump ran for office on a vow of vengeance, and now he’s delivering exactly that. The President, who returned to power promising “retribution,” is wasting no time using the full weight of the government to punish critics, rivals, and even ex-allies who dared to cross him.
On Friday, the FBI raided the home of John Bolton, Trump’s own former national security adviser-turned-critic. Just last week, Bolton branded the administration “the retribution presidency.” Now, he finds himself in Trump’s line of fire.
Trump’s Department of Justice is also probing New York Attorney General Letitia James, who famously sued Trump’s company for fraud, and Congressman-turned-Senator Adam Schiff, the Democrat who spearheaded Trump’s first impeachment. Even Newark’s Democratic Mayor Ras Baraka has been arrested, with Rep. LaMonica McIver charged over an immigration protest. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, now running for NYC mayor, is under investigation too.
The Trump hit list doesn’t stop with Democrats. He’s gone after Miles Taylor, who once exposed Trump’s authoritarian streak in a tell-all book, and Chris Krebs, the cyber chief who infuriated him by declaring the 2020 election secure. To Trump’s loyalists, this is justice. “Joe Biden weaponized his administration to target political opponents, most famously, President Trump,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said. “Trump…is restoring law and order.”
But critics see something darker. Dartmouth political scientist Brendan Nyhan warned: “You combine the threat of prosecution with armed troops in the streets. The picture is pretty clear for anyone who’s read a history book what kind of administration we’re dealing with.” Indeed, Trump has sent thousands of National Guard troops into U.S. cities to crack down on crime and immigration, with Los Angeles and D.C. already under heavy patrol. Chicago could be next.
Trump's campaign promise was "My revenge will be success"
Do people not remember this? You are watching his revenge unfold before your very eyes.pic.twitter.com/CBFazLkQbZ— Brandie with a 🐝 (@BrandieWithABee) July 25, 2025
Donald Trump
has also pardoned more than 1,500 people convicted in the Jan. 6 riots and fired prosecutors who worked those cases. Attorney General Pam Bondi has launched a grand jury probe into the Russia investigation that dogged Trump’s first term, while watchdogs are now investigating Special Counsel Jack Smith, who indicted Trump over classified documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Former Justice Department official Stephen Saltzburg put it bluntly: “It is amazing to me the number of people the Trump administration has gone after, all of whom are identified by the fact that they investigated or criticized Trump in one way or another.”
Donald Trump ran on a promise to use the powers of the government for revenge against those he believed wronged him https://t.co/fJ9qe1x0Tp
— U.S. News & World Report (@usnews) August 23, 2025
Donald Trump himself makes no secret of his power grab. “I could know about it. I could be the one starting it,” he told reporters. “I’m actually the chief law enforcement officer.”
From stripping judges of cases, punishing law firms, and cutting off universities that don’t bend to his will, to firing generals and yanking the security clearances of three dozen officials, Trump’s revenge is sweeping across institutions. “It’s what he promised,” said former DOJ official Justin Levitt. “It’s what bullies do when no one tells them ‘No.’”
