(RepublicanReport.org) – In March 2023, former President Donald Trump told a crowd at a Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) event, “I am your justice…I am your retribution,” while promising to get rid of the deep state. The Washington Post reported at the time that Trump’s words confirmed that his campaign plan was based on “revenge.” Recently, he seemed to shy away from that promise.
On January 10, The Daily Wire reported that Trump participated in a live town hall event in Iowa to answer questions from Fox News hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. The former asked the presidential candidate how much time he would spend on “retribution and looking backward” during his second term should he win the White House again in 2024. Trump responded by saying, “A lot of people would say that’s not so bad,” listing all the alleged hoaxes lodged against him. He then followed up by saying he won’t “have time for retribution.”
The former president said he and his team would make America “so successful again,” stating, “Our ultimate retribution is success.” The statement was a far cry from his previous pledge to be his follower’s “justice,” “retribution,” and “warrior” against those who have been “wronged and betrayed.”
As recently as November 2023, Trump was talking about weaponizing the Department of Justice against his political opponents and called his foes “vermin” — a moniker that disturbed many familiar with history. According to The Guardian, Harvard government Professor Steven Levitsky called Trump’s campaign the “most openly authoritarian…[he’d] ever seen.”
Average polling reported by FiveThirtyEight on January 11 showed Trump ahead of his GOP primary opponents with 52.3% of the vote in Iowa, followed by former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley with 17.1% and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with 15.7%. The primary in that state kicks off on January 15, followed by New Hampshire, where Trump is only ahead by 11.8 points.
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